My Shinobi
by KingLeviathan77
Summary: Emotions are hard, but sometimes all it takes is a maelstrom to shake things up.
1. Hebi-chan

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

"Freak!"

"Look at her ugly eyes!"

"Even her hair color is weird!"

The voices of young children filled the room as they stood around in a small circle. Cruelly, they would not allow the person inside to leave.

The kids within the orphanage, especially in the case of not being adopted after years of potential parent visits, tended to be harsh towards other orphans. This was a problem for the young eight year old in the middle of the circle.

Hikage stood in the center of the group, staring ahead at nothing in particular as the insults continued. With her messy shoulder length green hair, yellow eyes containing a snake-like slit pupil and no emotion showing on her face, she wasn't considered normal by any of the orphans. She always struggled with emotions and what she should be 'feeling', sometimes even believing she has none. In this case, she wondered why the other children were doing this. Is she really that different?

"We don't need freaks like you with us! When the adults see kids like you, they won't want anybody!" The chubby black haired boy yelled right into her face.

"Yeah! Look at her, she doesn't even care that we are yelling at her!" Shouted another short boy with unkempt brown hair when he noticed her bored looking expression.

"We should teach her a lesson!" A black haired girl around the same age remarked as she stared at Hikage with disgust.

The matrons of the orphanage were so distracted with preparing for welcoming more families to adopt that they weren't checking on the room where the kids were _supposed_ to be playing.

Hikage heard every word but didn't know what to do in this situation. She was used to being yelled at by others, though the slightly older children approaching her caused her heart to start beating faster.

"Hey! Stop right now!" The yell from the doorway drew everyone's attention.

All of the kids, including Hikage, turned to who was intervening before they could "teach" her a lesson.

"Oh, it's the other weirdo..." Muttered the brown haired boy.

Standing in the doorway was a boy around the same height of Hikage, looking to be around her age as well. The boy had bright blond hair, framing his head in messy spikes and a pair of clear blue eyes that stared at the scene before him with anger. The most peculiar thing about him was the whisker marks that adorned both sides of his face, three on each cheek.

"You guys better stop right now or I'll make you pay!" The blond boy yelled pointing at the group of kids.

"Another freak trying to help out the ugly girl, these two are the reason we will never have parents." A young girl spoke with a grimace, truly believing these two were the cause of everyone's problems.

Hikage heard the scathing remarks but due to her being distracted by the blond boy, she just watched with slightly wide eyes.

The whiskered 'freak' on the other hand looked even angrier after hearing his fellow orphans words about adoption.

"You...! That's it, I'm gonna kick all your asses! I'll do it for the pretty eyed girl! Remember my name when I do! I'm not a freak, my name is Naruto!" The boy rushed at the group of boys and girls, not caring what potential trouble he could be in with the matrons. With rage fueling his steps, he blindly ran towards them.

The girls in the group widened their eyes and screamed, scrambling out of the way. The chubby boy and his partner in crime stared at Naruto with disgust.

"Come on Takeshi, lets teach this freak a lesson first." The thinner brown haired boy called out to his friend. He was determined to put this kid in his place.

"Right, Michio!" The chubby boy responded.

Once Naruto reached the duo, he started throwing out punches and kicks wildly, hoping to show these two that him and the pretty eyed girl weren't freaks!

Unfortunately, due to the size of the other boys they quickly held Naruto down together and started beating on him, punching and kicking almost as wildly as Naruto was beforehand.

Hikage watched this scene and her body was telling her to move. She wasn't sure why, but seeing this boy who shouted his name proudly being beat to save her from being abused made her chest hurt.

'What is this...?' Hikage couldn't put a name to the pain in her chest.

"Stay down you little freak." Takeshi warmed him as Michio was doing his best at holding down the thrashing Naruto.

"You bastards are holding me down! What a cheap way to win!" Naruto roared out with various cuts on his face and a bloody lip, staring up at his opponents with hatred now.

Hikage didn't want her supposed savior to get hurt anymore despite her uncaring attitude towards everything else. Knowing that the adults were busy, she was about to jump in to help Naruto as much as possible.

However, before she could move again, another voice called out from the doorway, stopping all the kids in the room from either panicking or fighting. "You children will stop this, right now!" An old woman screamed loudly, piercing the children's ears with her shrill voice.

'A matron.' Hikage thought, she never cared enough to remember her name. These people didn't mean much to her.

The women rushed towards the group of fighting boys before pulling them apart and forcing them to stand away from each other.

"You boys will tell me right now what happened! The nerve of you all, on adoption day to do something like this!" She scolded the three boys.

"They started it! They were picking on the girl with pretty eyes. They said they were gonna teach her a lesson!" Naruto defended his actions.

"He's lying! He always starts trouble around here! He ran towards us when we were playing and started hitting us!" Michio put on his best sad sounding voice to trick the old woman.

Takeshi nodded his head, agreeing with his friend and quickly feigned a look of sadness to the matron.

The matron didn't know who to believe and turned to Hikage and the other girls. Just as Hikage was going to say something for Naruto, the other girls beat her to it.

"It was her fault too! She was telling him to do it." The young girl with black hair cried out.

Hikage snapped her eyes over to the orphan, making her shiver upon seeing those piercing yellow eyes peer into her own. Turning back to the matron she looked at her with tears to better sell her lie.

The matron who knew Naruto was prone to trouble and Hikage being generally considering abnormal among the staff, was biased in her decision and declared them both as the ones to blame. She was too busy today to take time settling this. None of the staff ever seemed too keen on helping either of these children with much besides the bare essentials.

"That's it! You two are in trouble. Hikage, you take Naruto and help him get cleaned up. Once the parents leave, you both will be properly punished." The now strict sounding voice of the woman said.

Naruto, not one to give up easily, was about to shout back when Hikage snapped her eyes to him next. Whatever words he wanted to yell died in his throat as she stared at his bruised face and busted lip. She proceeded to grab his hand and leave through the door the matron entered from.

The other children gave smirks when seeing the two freaks leave. It was a good day for them, and the only way it could get better is if they were adopted.

The matron shook her head and breathed out a sigh before watching the 'problem children' exit. She hurriedly made her way out to the family room where many families were waiting to meet the children.

* * *

"Stupid old hag, stupid Michio, stupid Takeshi, stupid orphanage." Naruto grumbled as he was being dragged slowly through the hallways of the now quiet end of the orphanage. They were headed towards a bathroom to clean the blood from his face.

Hikage heard his mumbles and remained quiet. Her head was filled with so many thoughts right now that she couldn't even respond to him, she didn't even know what compelled her to grab his hand.

"Hey, pretty eyes, we are at the bathroom. You can let go." The voice cut into her thoughts, and she looked up to see Naruto's bright blue eyes staring at her with curiosity.

"Why?" Hikage questioned him.

"Eh?" Naruto responded back, obviously confused.

"Why did you help me?" She decided to be more upfront.

"Oh, because those assholes were gonna hurt you and I couldn't allow that. They always pick on me too, but you saw I can take care of them with my strength, ya know!" Naruto responded proudly, pumping his arm into the air. Despite all his injuries and the fact that he didn't win the little fight, he was still cocky.

"Why" Hikage asked yet again.

"Hebi-chan, you ask a lot of questions." Naruto tilted his head at her.

"Hebi-chan? Pretty eyes? Why call me that?" Hikage continued to question him, not understanding his nicknames. She wasn't used to interacting with others.

Rubbing at his nose Naruto's face flushed a bit before saying "Well you do have pretty eyes, I like the color a lot and they look so cool! Just like a badass snake would! Even your hair color is awesome, I wish I had a cool hair color, like orange...or red...yeah that'd be cool." He nodded his head thoughtfully to himself as he finished.

Never having received a compliment for as long as she could remember, Hikage didn't know how to respond and just stared with her blank expression at Naruto.

Naruto's voice continued to break her out of her inner thoughts. She was trying to make sense of the strange boy with whisker marks.

"You think you can help me with... uh all of this blood from my lip? It kinda hurts, ya know." Naruto was embarrassed to admit that.

"Hikage."

"Huh?"

"My name is Hikage." She said back to him, this boy seemed a bit slow.

"I already knew that, the stupid lady said it before we left the room." He explained to her, this girl seemed a bit weird.

"But you won't call me Hikage, why?"

The response she received was a shrug followed by him saying "Dunno, you're Hebi-chan from now on." Naruto gave a bright grin at her that she didn't know how to respond to.

Entering the bathroom to get towels and use water to clean up Naruto's face, Hikage couldn't stop staring at him like he was a living breathing puzzle. Naruto couldn't stop wondering why she was just holding the towel and not using it to actually help him.

"Hebi-chan, can I get a little help please? I know I'm strong, but my arms are a bit sore." Naruto asked her with a tiny blush.

Hikage gave a small "Ah" in response to Naruto before helping him clean up the mess that was his supposed victory. The entire time Naruto was being cleaned, he didn't stop smiling. He was happy that a pretty girl was hanging out with him for once instead of those losers like Takeshi and the others who made fun of him.

The smile she kept seeing while cleaning his face woke something up in Hikage that she would become familiar with in the coming years. For now, it was foreign.

Just from the one interaction with Naruto, Hikage's life changed forever.

* * *

Having spent some time helping Naruto, Hikage returned to her small room at the end of a dark hallway to wait for whatever "punishment" the matron talked about before. Hikage was hungry and tired, but she really didn't care about much right now since her mind was too occupied by Naruto.

The orphanage made Hikage uncomfortable. The laughter behind her back, the insults, and the adults looking at her weirdly. She didn't understand it when she was younger, but now she knew it wasn't a safe space. When Naruto jumped in to save her, despite him getting his butt kicked, something in Hikage stirred_. _She wanted to help him, she wanted to tell the old lady that it wasn't his fault. Even now when she closed her eyes, the image of Naruto grinning while she attempted to clean his face remained. 'Why am I still thinking about him? We just met…' In her head she still couldn't comprehend why Naruto left such an impression on her.

A series of fast knocks at the door broke Hikage out of her internal questioning. She figured it was the matron, and she'd rather get it over with so she could either eat or sleep.

Opening the door, Hikage's studied the source of the knocks, Naruto. The boy changed into a clean black shirt and orange shorts, smiling brightly at her from the hallway.

"Yo, Hebi-chan. I knocked on every door in the hallway until I found your room! It took a while but I wanted to thank you again for helping me." Naruto told her with a big grin.

"Ah, but you helped me." Hikage tilted her head at him, not understanding his gratitude.

"That doesn't matter. You helped me get cleaned up and you were gonna stick up for me, that's more than what anyone's done for me in this crappy place." Naruto told her with a grimace now.

"Oh." Hikage didn't know what to respond to that either. She looked down at the floor and her messy bangs covered her eyes.

"Can I come in? I mean you don't have to say yes... I just want to uh, you know talk or something." Naruto asked while rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

"That's okay I guess." Hikage looked back up at him and moved to the side to allow him to enter. This is the most she's talked with someone in her short eight years of living.

Naruto smiled as he entered but then frowned at her room. His own room wasn't exactly packed with stuff, just mostly whatever he stole or collected. Hikage's room had basically nothing but a bed, closet and a light. How can she just stay in here doing nothing all day?

Meanwhile, while Naruto inspected her room, Hikage just watched him closely. She wondered what he wanted and why his smile made her think she was under a warm blanket.

"Hebi-chan. I have an idea..." Naruto trailed off while sitting on her small bed.

"Huh?" Hikage responded quietly.

"I don't like this place. I'm sick of all the crap the others put me through, and I saw what they did to you. I just feel like... I don't know, can we just leave? Without parents I mean." Naruto questioned, staring at the blank ceiling. "I never had parents, ya know. They told me I was just found on the doorstep of the orphanage and it looks like I'll never have them at this rate." He grumbled sadly.

Hikage did relate a lot with Naruto. She knew that she didn't like this place and would rather leave. Nobody seemed keen on wanting to adopt her due to various reasons and she didn't know anything about where she came from, only knowing her birthday. However, they were just eight year old kids, where would they go even if they ran away?

"How can we leave? We have nothing, and we are only eight." She was curious about his answer.

Naruto thought quickly before snapping his fingers when an idea reached him. "Hmm... well we don't worry about money for now. I'm actually really sneaky, ya know! I already steal from those old hags... but you're right we are young. I feel like we can do better for ourselves if we get outta here."

It was a dumb idea, something that two children at such an age shouldn't even attempt to do. Living on the streets and surviving was foolish, but for some reason Naruto's grin made Hikage believe. Believe that life could be better for them out there, on the unforgiving streets.

"What do you say Hebi-chan, you in?"

Staring into his blue eyes Hikage gave a single nod that made his smile widen even more. For a moment, Hikage could have sworn her own mouth twitched at the sight of his grin.

* * *

They both couldn't have picked a better time to try to leave the orphanage. The ladies that took care of the children were too busy managing the parents coming and going to watch everyone. The kids were told to either wait in their rooms or the playroom until they were hopefully adopted.

Sneaking around happened to be Naruto's specialty. He didn't know why, he just always felt like he knew what he was doing when trying to steal or move around silently. His body moved on autopilot. He had some money he swiped off the old ladies and even visiting parents stuffed in his pockets. They all had no idea either. Maybe it was because he was so amazing that nobody could detect him, yep that was probably it!

"Why are you doing this?"

The almost bored sounding voice broke him out of his boasting and he turned his head to look over his shoulder. Blues eyes came into contact with yellow slits.

"Eh? Doing what? We are getting out of here."

"Why am I on your back?"

That's right. He almost forgot about that. Hikage was so light and he was too busy inside of his own head thinking about what window or back entrance they could leave through.

"I figured we would make less noise if only one of us was walking on the floor... so a piggyback ride seemed okay for you."

"Piggyback?" Tilting her head, Hikage simply asked.

"Yeah, that's what it's called. I saw it in a manga! A guy was saving a girl or something and carried her the same way."

"Ah..." The small noise from Hikage told Naruto that she understood.

"I can put you down if you don't like it..."

Not getting a response back, Naruto peaked over his shoulder again to look at Hikage. Her yellow eyes were closed at the moment until she breathed out.

"Smells good." Hikage muttered, loud enough for Naruto to hear.

"Uh..." Hikage was weird. She was very pretty to him, but weird.

"... Anyway Hebi-chan, once we get to the room where they hold the garbage, we can get out the window. I tried leaving before with the door, but they lock it."

"Mhm." Hikage seemed content to lounge around on Naruto's back and let him go through with his own plan.

Naruto began to feel excited as he rounded the corner to the trash room. This was it, freedom at last. He didn't know what it was, but he honestly felt like he didn't belong here. Maybe it was the orphanage or the town, he didn't know. He felt so out of place and uncomfortable with these people. Hebi-chan was an exception. They may have just met and she's really weird, but he felt a connection already. He wasn't even sure why. Her cool hair color? Naruto didn't know what his fascination was with different colored hair, but the brown and the black hair he saw everyday couldn't compare to Hikage's.

"That window?"

It seemed like Hikage loved to break Naruto out of his own thoughts. She pointed a finger at the window in the top right of the room. The biggest window was only one drop away from leaving them in the alleyway.

"Yep! Alright, let's get outta here."

Almost bouncing with excitement Naruto stopped to put Hikage down, expecting her to get the message and release her hold on his neck.

"Huh?"

"I can't climb up to the window with you on my back, ya know."

Hikage seemed confused but then figured he was right. It's not like he was a shinobi or something that can walk up walls.

"Ah." Was the noise she made while moving off of his back in a snake-like fashion.

"Okay. I'm going to get up there and pull you up. We gotta be quick so nobody comes to check on us."

As if they had divine luck, the people in the orphanage were not interested in taking trash out at that exact time and everything was going smoothly.

A jump onto the windowsill was easy from the furniture in the room. Naruto dropped his arm over the side of the windowsill and extended his hand. Hikage thankfully got the message without explanation and grasped Naruto's hand with her own.

One pull up was all Naruto needed, seriously Hikage was light. It really goes to show what the orphanage was feeding them. The window thankfully wasn't locked either, making their breakout anticlimactic.

"I expected this to be harder." Naruto whispered as he was opening the window.

"Do you want it to be?"

"I don't know... I guess? I thought it would seem like one of those cool escape scenes in movies!"

"Ah, okay." Hikage nodded to herself thoughtfully.

"Hebi-chan, what're you doing?" Just as he was about to get the window open finally, Hikage decided to use her legs that dangled from the windowsill to kick a hanging cabinet with all her strength, resulting in a loud smacking sound that echoed throughout the room and carried into the halls.

"Hebi-chan, why?!" Naruto was nervous now, he didn't want anyone knowing they left until they could get farther away from the orphanage

"Cool escape scene." Hikage answered, giving him a peace sign with her deadpan face.

"... Let's just get out please."

Naruto tugged on Hikage's hand again to help her through the window and they were able to jump down onto the ground of the alleyway.

"Smells like crap… ew."

"You smell better."

"Aha… thank you?"

It would be a long time before Naruto would become used to Hikage's unique way of complimenting him.

"Where do we go now?" Hikage's flat voice whispered softly in the alleyway. The outside noise from the city was loud but the kids were in their own little world.

"We can live on the streets for now. It's not like anyone was gonna take us in for adoption anyway... but still let's do this! Hebi-chan, it's us against the world! We have some money that I... borrowed so we can buy food and stuff!" Naruto seemed almost excited to be homeless and without help, but deep down they both knew they had no other options. Even at the age of eight they were just unwanted by the people both in the orphanage and outside of it.

Copying the action that Naruto did hours ago when she was cleaning him up, Hikage pumped her fist into the air.

"Woo." The lack of emotion really showed her enthusiasm.

"Uh... we can work on it."

In another life, Hikage made the escape from the orphanage on her own. She roamed the cruel streets by herself. Now, she had someone who she could rely on through thick and thin.

'Why does he smell so good to me though?'

"Hebi-chan! Get off of me, we gotta go! Stop smelling me!"

Hikage didn't plan to ever stop.

* * *

**AN **\- So this is the first time I've ever written fanfiction, hopefully it goes well. I have read a ton of stories from various authors on this site over the course of a couple years, but a Senran Kagura and Naruto crossover is seemingly rare. I do have ideas for the future of this story if everything works out, and if you're familiar with the Senran Kagura series, you obviously know Hikage is best girl. I'm willing to fight any of you on that. Thanks for reading and please let me know what I'm doing wrong since this is a new experience for me.


	2. Rags to Riches

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

Surviving on the streets with little supplies for a year would be almost impossible for anyone, let alone two children. Currently residing in Kabukichō, a red light district in Tokyo, Naruto and Hikage traveled alleyway to alleyway. Always being on the move but for some reason they were content. They hated the orphanage, and while life may be even harder for them now, they made it work.

Naruto found out rather quickly that he was a good pickpocket, he would be able to grab the wallets and money from people with little to no trouble, never being caught over the course of a year.

For that year, Hikage now nine years old, stayed mostly the same. Still having her bored monotone voice, "pretty" deadly eyes that can piece through a person and "amazing" hair color that Naruto was always going on about. She, like Naruto, was quite skilled at the art of theft. He taught her from his own "experience", and they put it to the test after needing to provide for themselves after the money Naruto took originally ran out. A whole year of avoiding police officers or anyone that would try to get them off the streets wasn't easy either. However. it was worth it, just so they didn't have to return to what they considered the worst place on earth.

"Oi, Hebi-chan I got the food."

Hikage snapped her eyes up from a manga Naruto... acquired to stare at her partner as he dangled a grocery bag in front of her face. He looked mostly the same as well, just a little thinner from being on the streets.

"You think you can make it for us?" Naruto asked her with pleading eyes that she never in the year of knowing him can say no to for some reason.

"Why always me?"

"You make it taste better!"

"It's instant ramen. I don't make it."

"Hebi-chan please?"

Avoiding his begging eyes that caused her face to heat up, she nodded slightly and began to set up a portable burner and pot, both stolen of course, to cook Naruto's favorite noodles in. Naruto loved the food and Hikage followed soon after, not to the same extent but still well enough to eat it day to day.

"You're the best Hebi-chan, what would I do without you?"

Naruto was very open about what he was feeling, specifically towards Hikage. They grew close over the year they spent surviving together, and while Hikage didn't know how to respond back to Naruto she knew she wouldn't be able to do anything without him at her side either.

Despite their young age and Hikage's lack of understanding what she should be feeling, they depended on each other for every little thing. No matter how mature Naruto could get when planning out his thefts, he acted the same as the day they met whenever around her. He did call her by her name, but mostly he used the nickname he gave her, Hebi-chan. She also learned that he calls her that in his sleep, as he was an avid sleep talker. It was odd when she hears him say names and locations that she knew nothing about when sleeping. It didn't affect her too much though, because when she struggles to sleep, she just lays next to him and stares at the stars. Listening to his heartbeat against her ear and his nonsensical talk was a good sleep aid.

Sharing a pair of chopsticks, they proceeded to sit and feed each other from the pot of now cooked noodles and just enjoyed the silence of the alleyway. From eating to bathing, they did everything together. Luckily, other homeless people stood away from them, Naruto's whiskered appearance and Hikage's unique looks didn't make them very impressionable to the public. Naruto's voice soon broke through the comfortable silence.

"What's your plan for the rest of the day?" He tilted his head towards her while chewing on his noodles.

"I want to read more." She gestured to the manga sitting on a small mattress they shared.

"Can you read to me later? I'm going to go get a bit more money before it gets too dark." His grin became mischievous, showing he was proud of what he was going to do.

"Mhm." Hikage sounded back.

That was another thing, Naruto has been making her talk more and more over the year, to get her out of her "shell" as he called it. She obviously noticed, especially when he makes her read out loud to him for long periods of time. It worked in both their favors, he liked to hear her voice, and she got to be close enough to him for that warmth he seemed to constantly let off.

Finishing his portion, he placed the last of the noodles in Hikage's mouth and stood up, ignoring her deadpan face at his actions.

"Alright I'm heading out." Naruto turned to her with his hands on his hips.

"Be careful..." She said to him with something in her voice that neither of them could place.

"Aww! I knew you cared Hebi-chan!"

Scooping her up into a hug, Naruto squeezed her tightly to him, burying his face into her messy green hair. This was routine for them by now, whenever one would leave the shared alleyways, they usually became very affectionate without realizing it. Hikage got used to the physical contact over the year, now she welcomed it unconsciously.

"Hebi-chan you can stop smelling me now."

"Oh."

'She hasn't changed at all.' Naruto thought dryly and knew he didn't smell 'good' anymore but Hikage did that every time she was close to him, always remarking that she liked it.

Shaking his head at his partners odd behavior, Naruto turned and proceeded to the entrance of the long alleyway before throwing a peace sign back to Hikage, it was time to put his skill to the test.

Hikage on the other hand watched him go, she wanted to tell him to stay, but knew this was necessary for today. Neither could have predicted that Naruto's next pickpocket target would be the one to shake up their world again.

* * *

It didn't take very long for Naruto to pick out a target in the shopping center, he had a good eye for seeing what people looked like they had money on them. Luckily, he spotted a very pretty girl, in her late teens if he had to guess. She wore a beautiful white sun dress that clung to her developed figure. Her long blonde hair framed her cute face, which was a few shades paler than his own, and it waved back and forth as she window shopped. The reason Naruto picked her was because of the way she moved, she walked with purpose and confidence. Seeing many rich and poor people over the year, this girl looked like she fit the part of being a noble or princess.

'Okay Naruto, all you gotta do is run by, bump into her, knock her purse out of her hand and run like hell, you got this!' He always psyched himself up before stealing anything, it hasn't failed him yet. This wasn't the usual pickpocket at all, he wouldn't be taking her money and leaving the purse. No, this time they needed more than whatever pocket change others had on the streets. Despite his rushed planning he was sure that if all goes wrong, they could always relocate alleyways to a different area.

Approaching the girl fast, Naruto cut between people who ignored the dirty looking child, before slamming right into the pretty girl. Using his whole body, he knocked both himself and her onto the ground, her purse falling by her feet.

"Sorry pretty lady!" He exclaimed before the girl could come back to her senses due to the disbelief of how she just got knocked onto the ground by a child.

Shaking her head, the girl caught the face of the child who knocked into her, cute little whiskers and bright blue eyes made her almost smile but then she realized her predicament. Pushing herself up and fixing her dress so she wouldn't give anybody a free show, she looked to find the boy weaving away through the crowd as fast as he could. 'Seems someone fancies themselves as a little thief.' The 'pretty lady' thought as a smirk appeared on her face. 'Poor boy doesn't know who he's messing with.' She easily followed him with her eyes as he moved skillfully though the rows of people, cradling her small purse tightly to himself.

'Okay Okay Okay Okay! Just gotta get back to Hebi-chan, lay low for a bit and we are in the clear. Sorry pretty lady, we need this more than you.' Naruto maneuvered through the crowds naturally and ran down streets as fast as his legs can take him, it wouldn't be long before he reached the alleyway, and the setting sun would help cover his escape better. He couldn't stop the grin from appearing on his face 'Feels good to be Naruto!' Resisting the urge to celebrate he ran full speed ahead to their 'home'.

* * *

Hikage didn't have to wait long for Naruto to get back, setting down her manga again she looked to the opposite end of the alleyway where she spotted Naruto out of breath and bathed in the setting sun. She made a strange face when she saw his disheveled appearance. 'He needs to jump in the river, I like his smell but not when he's sweating like that.' Those were her first thoughts. Her obsession with Naruto began within the year but she didn't realize it yet nor did she have any idea how bad it would be in the future.

"Hebi-chan mission accomplished!" Naruto moved closer to her and held up a small expensive looking purse.

"Good job, maybe you can go take a bath now..."

"Sure, I guess? We have to get food first though remember?"

"I want your hair clean."

"Ahaha..." She made it weird again.

Just as Naruto was about to flip open the purse and scavenge whatever he could inside, they both heard clapping and a sweet sounding laugh coming from the entrance of the alleyway.

"Well well well... Not one, but two little cute thieves."

Naruto's eyes widened at the words as he turned to get a look at the speaker. Long blonde hair, expensive sun dress, shining green eyes peering at them both with amusement and something else. He noticed the lack of a purse...

"Oh shit."

"'Oh shit' indeed my cute little thief." The girl responded, amused at the child's crude language.

Hikage looked ready to bolt and the way her body moved closer to Naruto made the girls smile widen even more. She didn't know their names and they were already making her week.

"So, I'm going to need that back or someone's going to end up getting hurt." She pointed at the purse in Naruto's now shaky hands.

Naruto spared a glance at Hikage, a silent message passing through the two of them, they knew they had to get out of there.

"Now now, no running or I'm going to get mad." The same sweet voice cut into the two little thieves internal planning.

"Listen lady...we need this, we don't have enough for food. You look like you can do without whatever is in your purse for a bit." Naruto tried negotiating, it was their best shot before bolting.

"Oh my, but I'm afraid to tell you I do need my purse back, and I intend to get it anyway I can."

Naruto and Hikage tensed at those words and began to even freeze up when the girl lifted the bottom of her dress up a bit to reveal her long legs and stockings.

"Last chance cuties." She warned with that same grin and dangerous gleam in her eye.

Naruto didn't know what she was planning on doing, but he moved himself in front of Hikage, even if she hurt him, he would never allow Hikage to take the punishment.

Hikage's eyes opened wide seeing Naruto put himself in front of her, to protect her. Something that he seemed to do instinctually in the year she's known him.

"Adorable, I can just eat you two up. But maybe later, I'm taking back what's mine." Her right hand reached to the top of her stockings and she withdrew a knife. The knife itself was wicked looking, a brown handle with a black trim around the sharpened silver blade. There were even little notches on the blade that looked detachable.

Like a bullet, she took off fast ending up in front of Naruto in no time. Her knife poised and ready, uncaring of the target. If a trained eye were observing her, they would see how perfect her form was, how her precision was sure to hit its target.

Naruto closed his eyes sensing her approach and right before she reached him, he screamed out "You can hurt me, just don't hurt Hikage! Please!" His eyes tightly shut, Naruto didn't care what would happen to himself, but he was worried about the trembling nine year old behind his back that couldn't believe how far he'd go for her. He even called her Hikage, forgoing his affectionate nickname. She also had her eyes closed now, not wanting to see Naruto, her...Naruto, being hurt.

Expecting pain and not feeling anything, Naruto cracked an eye open and was shocked to find the girl standing in front of him, knife hanging weakly at her side, staring at them both with sparkling eyes.

"You two." She paused dramatically before finishing "I'm keeping you."

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

The girl, in a matter of seconds, folded the knife and stuck it back under her dress before staring at the two helpless children before her.

"You both are coming with me. I was never really going to kill you, you know. Did you think I'd kill kids? I was just trying to scare you a little bit and teach you not to steal from dangerous people." She had a devilish grin on her face again.

"Hey! Screw you lady! That's what you call trying to scare us?! I felt like I was going to die you asshole!"

Her grin dropped as her eye twitched hearing Naruto's insults before bending over to get in his face and smacking him upside the head lightly.

"Ow!"

"You deserved it, don't call a beautiful young lady like me an asshole! Got it cutie? You and your girlfriend here need to be taught some manners it seems."

'Girlfriend?' Hikage thought while staring at this girl, not really getting what she meant by that. Now that she got a good look at the girl, she was gorgeous, she looked like a model rather than a girl who knew how to use a deadly knife.

Naruto meanwhile blushed hearing the girl call Hikage his girlfriend and from the distance between him and her, he could kind of see down her dress, not that he was looking! He was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of someone clearing their throat, only to see the blonde girl strike a pose she thought looked cool.

"Now then my cuties! My name is Hinata! Proud leader of the Daybreak!"

Naruto didn't know how many times this girl could make him speechless today. Daybreak? That gang that he heard some people whisper about in town? Hinata? Leader?!

"You're the leader of a gang?!"

"Yup yup, and because you stole from me, I'm stealing you and her, you're mine now." She replied to his question as another wicked grin took place on her face.

Hikage seemed to space out here but she was deep in thought, something about this Hinata made her keep quiet and the way she acted made her appear so sure of herself. That left a good impression on Hikage despite the obvious scare she just gave both of them. She was so strong, so pretty, if she was strong like her, she would be able to protect Naruto from anything, just as he would do for her.

"Like hell we are! I'll give you the purse back, you can leave us alone." Naruto was already shoving the purse back into her hands.

"I'll gladly take my purse." That damn smile on her face dropped with her next words.

"But really you two, look around you. You both can't be more than eight? Nine? And you're living in an alleyway stealing from people off the streets and sleeping on a dirty mattress. I don't imagine you have parents...?" Hinata trailed off seeing Naruto put his head down and Hikage stare blankly at her with those slit eyes.

"No... we ran away from the orphanage. No parents wanted us and everyone hated us there. Always forgetting about me and never helping Hebi-chan. We were doing fine on the streets for a whole year, never messed up until today." Naruto looked like he hated himself in that moment, making Hinata drop to her knees in the dirty alleyway to get eye level with the kids. Her expensive dress was the least of her worries right now.

"I have a gang now, that's true. However, I was just like the both of you, running away from the orphanage, having nothing and nobody. You two luckily have each other but I'm offering a chance here to get you out of this. I know this is sudden, but I'm not going to leave you two to live like this, not if I can help it." They both reminded her of herself at that age, that it would be painful to leave them alone.

Naruto looked at her with sad eyes while Hikage seemed to observe the scene keenly now. Usually she spaced out in long conversations not related to Naruto, right now she was alert. She would follow whatever Naruto would do, no matter how strong this girl was. Naruto was the one who protected her, kept her warm, saved her.

"Please kids, just come with me, I promise I'm not going to make you do anything involving my...profession but I want to give you somewhere safe to live." She was almost pleading with them at this point. She thought she was beyond caring about others at this point in her life, but she felt like she could connect with these two. They were something else to be able to survive this long on their own, which greatly impressed her. It didn't hurt that they were two cuties as well. She never had family, and these kids might fit that criteria.

Naruto heard her words and he know this was a big decision to make, but at this point what did they have to lose? Disgusting alleyways and a dirty mattress? Turning to Hikage he grasped her hands tightly with his own.

"Hebi-ch... Hikage-chan I'm serious right now, whatever you want I'll follow you okay? We are in this together ya know?" He ignored Hinata's cry of "That's cute!".

Hikage stared into Naruto's eyes, her chest gave off a weird 'pain' whenever Naruto touched her but now with him saying her actual name along with holding onto her hands caused that previous 'pain' to increase. Though she couldn't figure out why the supposed 'pain' didn't exactly hurt.

"You'll care for us?" She asked Hinata. Even with Hikage's flat voice, the seriousness of the question can be heard clearly.

"Of course."

"You won't hurt us?"

"Not outside of teaching you both a lot of self-defense lessons."

"Can I... be like you?"

"Hm?" Hinata looked a bit confused at this one. Even Naruto tilted his head at Hikage's odd question.

"Strong and pretty...I want to protect Naruto. Only Naruto." Naruto had a blush on his cheeks as he avoided her eyes now.

Hinata's eyes lit up before grabbing Hikage in a hug and pushing her head into her breasts. "Of course! Oh my, you two are so cute together, I can't wait for you to both be older. Naruto-chan come over here and accept my hug."

"No way! You tried to kill me! And we barely know you!"

"Now now little thief, I'm your guardian from now on so when I ask for hugs, I will receive hugs okay?"

Grumbling to himself over how fast things were moving, Naruto reluctantly moved himself towards Hinata and joined in on the hug. His face pushed into her large breasts and stuck up against his partner. Hikage seemed almost transfixed on Hinata's huge chest.

"So big."

"Thank you, sweetie."

"Can I be like that?"

"I'm sure you will be."

"Naru... Would you like that?

Naruto bright red face was conveniently hidden by Hinata's chest. He didn't even want to answer Hikage's question right now.

Removing the kids from her hug, she pointed a hand to the entrance of the alleyway. Hinata had a flare for dramatics it seemed.

"Alright cuties, time to move out before it gets too dark! Pack whatever is important to you, none of that dirty crap, you're coming back to my place!" She began marching towards the entrance. Despite how fast things were moving, the kids listened to Hinata, so Naruto and Hikage gathered what little items that were important before moving to follow Hinata.

Naruto looked back at the alleyway one more time with a sad expression on his face before he felt a small hand grab his own. Shifting his eyes to see Hikage's snake like pupils staring into his own, he gave her hand a squeeze and the duo followed Hinata back to her home.

* * *

"Alright my cuties! We are here!"

Hinata turned around with her hands on her hips to look at Hikage who stared ahead curiously. Meanwhile, Naruto was excitedly moving his head as his eyes peered at every aspect of the moderate sized home.

"For such a crazy lady you have a nice home!" His comment made her eye twitch slightly.

The building sat at the edge of town, far away from the ever present noise that the red light district produced. It wasn't the biggest home they had seen before from the streets, but they've never actually been inside a home. Naruto started to grin in excitement for finally having somewhere to live.

"I'll ignore that insult for now., but you'd be surprised what offering... protection from rivaling gangs can pay in this town." She told them with a smirk. She continued on after seeing their somewhat lost expressions at her words. "But enough of that! Let's get a move on inside, you kids need a bath immediately and something to eat." Hinata started to move towards her door to unlock it but noticed both kids weren't following.

"What's wrong? Naruto? Hikage?"

"Why are you doing all this for us?" Surprisingly the question came from Hikage who still couldn't understand the concept of helping people out who were strangers.

Hinata's eyes softened as she looked directly into Hikage's snake like pupils. "I told you both already, you remind me a lot of myself at that age. I can't leave you two living on the streets anymore. Now I may have a gang and earn money through questionable means, but I'm not going to let two kids who are like myself starve to death on the streets." She cleared her throat before continuing "However! For the time being both of you will be trained personally by me starting next week! So, move your little asses inside right now!" Flashing her bright white teeth at them, she threw her door open.

Hikage still holding onto Naruto's hand, moved slowly with him to the entrance of the home and peered inside. It was clean for one, the hallway leading off into different rooms had shoes neatly sorted by the door and stairs on the right side that head up to the second floor.

"Wow..." Naruto looked around while his eyes sparkled seeing the clean home and comfortable interior.

"I take it you both like it?" Hinata asked the two, already knowing their answer based off the reactions she got.

Naruto loved what he was seeing and based on Hikage's eyes moving all over the place and her mouth hanging open a bit showed she did too.

'It's sad how a simple home makes them so happy.' She shook her head to rid of negative thoughts, right now she needed to make them comfortable here.

"I live alone, the only visitors I get occasionally are my members whenever something is needed to be brought to my attention. This is now your house just as much as it's mine. So please, I know it'll be hard, but try to get comfortable."

She wasn't exactly the best at this, she was used to dealing with delinquents and dangerous people. Raising children? She practically raised herself, so she had no experience with a guardian or parental figure.

"Hinata... Thank you" Naruto's eyes were watery as he looked at her. They were never given anything by anybody in their whole lives, having to grow up faster than other children their age due to their choice. With how quickly Hinata was taking them in, Naruto couldn't help expressing gratitude at the moment.

Seeing him almost in tears, Hinata pulled him into a hug, combing her fingers through his hair, not caring in the least about the mess that it was from living on the streets.

"I'll take care of you both from now on, I swear on it, you won't end up alone like me." She spoke softly into Naruto's ear. Looking over to the other occupant of her house she called out to her.

"Hikage-chan come give me a hug too, Naruto owes me lots of hugs for robbing me! You do too!" Naruto's indignant "Hey!" was muffled by Hinata's chest for a second time that day.

Hikage, not really used to physical contact with anyone besides Naruto, slowly approached her and wrapped her arms around Hinata's waist. She felt the warmth she was giving off.

'Is this...what a parent is like?' Hikage thought to herself as she almost melted into Hinata's soft embrace.

While the kids probably wanted it to go on for longer, Hinata pulled away from them. "We can hug a lot more later. For the time being I need you both to get cleaned up while I make some dinner. I'll show you both where the bathroom and the kitchen are so you don't get lost. You can take turns bathing."

"What?"

"Huh?"

The kids questioning made Hinata confused. What did they not understand? Did they want more hugs?

"What do you both mean?"

"We always go in the river together." Hikage's flat voice gave her the answer, as Naruto was nodding his head.

"Yeah! We always help each other stay clean."

'Oh, I see how they are.' It made sense to Hinata, all they had were each other for the past year so they were used to doing everything together, it was extremely cute, and she couldn't wait to see what would happen as they got older.

"Alright then, you both can take a bath together. I'll get you towels, and you can wear some of my clothes I should still have from when I was younger." She nodded to herself before continuing "Hope you don't mind wearing girls clothes for tonight Naruto, it's all I have right now."

"It's fine! As long as we can get rid of these dirty clothes, I'll deal with it." Naruto didn't care about the clothes right now, he was so happy with how generous Hinata was that it could be overlooked easily.

Making the kids follow her to the bathroom door she gestured the kids inside before explaining to them where the soaps and shampoos were to use. She left them both with towels and went to find clothes quickly for them so she can prepare dinner.

* * *

Hinata was finishing up a simple meal of fish and rice in the kitchen when she wondered what the hell was taking the kids so long? Did they drown in the damn bath water?

Setting the table quickly before moving to her bathroom she listened in when she heard Naruto and Hikage's voice through the door.

"Uh this is kind of embarrassing to wear ya know... it's like I'm wearing a dress!"

"Ah..."

"Really why did I get this big shirt and you have a small one!"

"..."

"Hikage-chan! Stop smelling me again!"

"I'm not sorry."

Hinata couldn't stop the grin from forming on her face just listening to the two interact. She managed to find underwear and a shirt that could fit Hikage perfectly, but Naruto was stuck with a small pair of shorts and a long tee shirt. She reminded herself to do some clothes shopping for them first thing in the morning, she wanted her kids to be comfortable after all. She froze up immediately at her thoughts.

'Wait… My kids?' She didn't even realize she already thought of these two as her own, it's ridiculous! She just met them and already she's grown attached in the span of a couple hours?! Well it's not like they belonged to anybody else, and she'll be damned if she lets others take care of them now that she took her claim.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she knocked on the door to tell the kids dinner was ready.

"Naruto-chan! Hikage-chan! Foods ready! Get out here before it gets cold!"

The door opened slowly and Hinata eyes drank in the adorable sight that was Hikage clinging to Naruto's back with her face pushed against his neck breathing in slowly. Naruto's face was red, either from the steam, his state of dress, or Hikage, she didn't know.

"You two are so adorable! I'm glad my old clothes fit you Hikage-chan. I won't apologize to you Naruto, you look so cute in that oversized shirt!"

Naruto's face flushed more from her words as he looked anywhere but into Hinata's eyes at the moment. Hikage on the other hand couldn't be bothered with anything else, Naruto finally smelled great again. Well to her he always smelled good, but now it was even better. In her very odd opinion.

"Hikage-chan you can hang onto your boyfriend later, we need to eat now alright?"

It was impossible for Naruto to feel more embarrassment at this point.

Pulling the kids along with her to the kitchen, Hinata set them into chairs next to each other after successfully prying Hikage off of Naruto for the time being. She began to serve the two the meal, and they both thanked her quietly, too excited to eat a meal that was home cooked for once to be loud, in Naruto's case at least.

Watching them eat was amusing to Hinata, she was somewhat surprised they didn't tear into the food with no manners. Instead they ate slowly, savoring it and feeding each other occasionally.

'Only nine years old and they already act this close. The future is set in stone at this rate.' She couldn't hide her smirk at the thought of how they would act when they realized the implications of what they did together. Well, she kind of expected Hikage to not care about embarrassment judging by her unique actions, but Naruto would be very fun to tease. She couldn't wait!

Two voices thanking her broke her out of her thoughts of the future and she looked to see Naruto and Hikage staring directly at her as they sat shoulder to shoulder.

"Now, you don't need to thank me. I told you both already, I'm taking care of you from now on, so you better get used to this." Naruto's smile at her words was blinding and she could have sworn she saw Hikage's mouth twitch upwards a couple of times.

Seeing as dinner was done, Hinata sent them both to the living room to watch television while she cleaned up before joining them. She walked into the living room and witnessed Naruto staring at the flat screen with a interested looking Hikage sitting on his lap watching as well. Averting her eyes to the screen she noticed what was on that had them so intrigued.

'A show about... Shinobi?' It had to be. The characters wearing all black and throwing out shuriken as they stuck to the shadows in the show. It seems both Naruto and Hikage liked the tale of shinobi, well she supposed kids could have worst role models. 'Like myself for example.' She struggled to keep down the smile on her face. She knew she wouldn't be a good role model for kids, she's only recently turned 20 years old herself, but she'll do her best.

"Wow! One day I want to be a shinobi just like them! Right Hebi-chan?!" Naruto's excited voice echoed throughout the room.

"Mhm, I guess we can be ninjas together."

"Remember what I said? Me and you against the world Hikage-chan!"

"Ah..."

Hinata stifled a laugh seeing a tint of red on Hikage's face at Naruto's words, she probably didn't even realize she was embarrassed. God, these kids were precious. But seriously, shinobi? Didn't they want to be something cooler? Like the leader of a gang? She totally wasn't biased in her opinion.

Letting the kids enjoy themselves for another hour, Hinata decided it was time for bed so she can get an early start for tomorrow. Dragging the kids upstairs to her room she began to explain the sleeping situation to them.

"Okay, for the time being you'll both be sleeping with me in my bed! Yes we just met today, but I won't let you both sleep on the floor or the couch. I do have a few guest rooms that I'll eventually get nice beds for, though right now we can all stay together. I know, you two wouldn't want to be separated so Naruto you can sleep in the middle."

Two hesitant nods gave Hinata the confirmation she needed before grabbing her own pajamas and changing in the bathroom.

Reentering the bedroom in a long t-shirt like Naruto's and a pair of small shorts, Hinata looked at the two who seemed very comfortable laying on the bed staring at the ceiling.

"You two comfortable enough?"

"Yeah, it's so warm."

"Mm..."

Satisfied with the responses, Hinata moved into bed on the right side of Naruto with Hikage taking his left and shut off the light. She snuggled up against Naruto and draped her arm around him to pull Hikage closer too.

"Goodnight my little cuties, I hope you have a good sleep."

Naruto's voice happened to be muffled. Yet again, for the third time today, Hinata had him pulled against her breasts like a teddy bear. Giving another smile in the dark, Hinata peeked over at Hikage to see two narrowed yellow slit eyes glaring at her slightly.

"Hmm? Are you comfortable Hikage-chan?"

"Let him go, I sleep with him like that."

It seemed she was possessive, a nine year old already this attached to a boy. Hinata couldn't wait to tease them endlessly. For now, she released Naruto from her clutches and watched in the dark as Hikage's hands pulled him quickly to her own chest.

"Sleep Naru." Hikage's voice whispered.

"Hebi-chan at least I can breathe now. Thank you."

Hinata couldn't hold her laugh back at seeing Hikage's eyes glaring at her yet again for almost "hurting" Naruto.

'This was the best decision I've ever made.' Was the last thought of Hinata before relaxing and attempting to fall asleep beside the two orphans who she personally claimed as her own. One thing was certain, with these two in her life there would never be a dull moment.

"Hebi-chan stop smelling me and go to sleep!" Naruto's hushed whisper and Hikage's little surprised noise made Hinata giggle as she had her eyes closed.

'Yeah, best decision ever.'

* * *

**AN – **Hey everyone, sorry for taking a bit to update but I'll do my best to get more chapters out faster. I wanted to thank the people who left reviews or read the first chapter, as I said I'm quite new to this and it means a lot to me that people actually spent time reading what I write.

I just want to address something, hopefully it doesn't disappoint but this story will take place in the Senran Kagura universe. While putting the Senran girls in the Naruto world would be very interesting no doubt, I just felt like doing something a bit different as Senran Kagura isn't as well known. Most people just think its about titty ninjas, which I mean, yeah obviously, but there's a bit more. However, this Naruto is indeed the Naruto we all know and love, circumstances as to why and how will be revealed in the future.

Also, Hinata is indeed a character that exists in the universe but there is little to no information about her, I will do my best to give her a personality but try not to get attached :) The name of her gang is just a reference to the Akatsuki, as her gang was never actually given an actual name.


	3. Life is Strange

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

Leaving the orphanage at the age of ten and thrown into the harsh reality of living on the streets, she survived. She overcame hunger, poverty and danced with death too many times to count. For years she worked towards gathering a following of her fellow homeless or delinquents. It was easy enough, almost too easy for someone who was barely a teenager at the time. She was blessed to be charismatic by nature and her appearance certainly didn't hurt to win people over.

All the knowledge of illegal activity and organizing well up to forty members of her gang, couldn't prepare her for the biggest struggle of her life. Parenting was something Hinata was not well versed in.

Two years went by fast for Hikage and Naruto, For Hinata, she felt like she aged thirty more. That wasn't to say she wasn't attached to the children she claimed as her own. No, she loved them more than anything. However, nothing she's read in books or seen on the television could prepare her to raise two very odd children. She couldn't judge them though, she was different herself and she'd never want to change the two who she's come to love as family.

At only 22, Hinata would have appeared the same as she was before she met her little cuties, but with ridiculous bed head and a robe hastily thrown on, she currently looked like a hot mess. Managing her members daily, making sure they bring in money and making sure the kids were taken care of in all aspects was a challenge. She needed a break.

'There aren't any breaks as a mother though.' She thought to herself with a small smile as she stood in front of the stove top preparing breakfast for her children. Today she wasn't going to be "training" with Naruto and Hikage. Today she planned to relax with them somewhere outside the house and away from her hideout, totally not to escape from her responsibilities of course.

Learning how to fight and in some cases for her, knowing how to kill in self-defense, wasn't easy for her. Despite her appearance, she was cut up and bruised more times than she could count when she was trying to rise from the bottom of the food chain. When she initially started teaching the two to fight, it was unnatural how they picked up on her lessons. She didn't _exactly_ have a fighting style. She was, unsurprisingly, more akin to a brawler in a fight. Her precious knife was able to pick up the slack for her in any possible scenario and she was quite confident in her speed to dance around opponents.

Everything she showed Naruto and Hikage, they picked up at speeds that would be similar to how prodigy fighters would learn. Hikage, to her somewhat embarrassment, was extremely similar to her when she takes out her own knife. It was a bit scary for Hinata to see her normally stoic and emotionless daughter start to grin and laugh wildly when chasing her down in a spar. Hikage was fast, incredibly so for her age, and her sadistic streak was entirely Hinata's fault. In a way she was proud to have taught her daughter how to fight like her.

Naruto on the other hand was far more complicated in Hinata's eyes. The way he maneuvered when sparring with either her or some more of the combat oriented members she had in her gang was instinctual. The way his eyes would be able to follow movements that should make him stagger, or how he could outrun people two times his age without breaking a sweat. Naruto was not normal. Everything seemed precise, planned, and sometimes Hinata could have sworn he was trained before she could get her hands on him.

It made no sense, he was an orphan. Struggling to survive with Hikage on the streets, and before that he was in the orphanage his whole life. Sometimes he even acts more mature than an eleven year old should be. He understood concepts that Hinata knew he should struggle with. For the most part, Naruto acted his age. However, the unusual bouts of cunning thinking or quick reactions had her watching him closely outside of combat.

Hinata would have continued pondering her children's progress if not for the overpowering smell of burnt food that hit her. She peered down to see that she somehow managed to completely burn scrambled eggs. Her eye twitched as she berated herself for getting caught up in her thoughts while cooking.

It only got worse when the smoke detectors in her home went off, making her eye twitch even more. Even a simple breakfast was a challenge for her today. She let out a sigh before muttering to herself "Just another day of being a mom".

* * *

Bright blue eyes peered open upon hearing the shrill noise of a smoke detector ringing throughout the house. Attempting to sit up proved to be impossible with the mess of limbs holding his body down.

Looking over to see Hikage holding his left arm in a death grip while her legs coil around his own, Naruto knew he wasn't going to be moving until she woke up. He scratched his whiskered cheek while thinking of the best way to wake her up. Naruto also wondered how the combination of the smoke detector beeping and Hinata's not so silent curses about eggs was not waking Hikage up.

Using his right arm, he started to tap Hikage on the shoulder, which proved to be ineffective. Patting her on the head didn't work. Trying to struggle with his legs was just wasting energy and trying to pull his arm out her surprisingly soft chest wasn't helping. He narrowed his eyes at her chest, trying to figure out why her chest felt like pillows on his arm.

Feeling the grip on his legs tighten even more caused him to stop the staring contest with Hikage's chest and look to her face where her yellow eyes stared directly at his face. She still didn't release him but at least she was awake.

"Hebi-chan let me go, Kaa-chan probably needs help with breakfast." 'Again.' He mentally added.

"No." He expected the answer, but he had to try.

"Hebi-chaaaaaan!" He whined out as he struggled to move. This happened often and he could never get out of her grip, she was so much like a snake that her affectionate nickname was more appropriate than ever.

"I'll let go... if you do what I ask every morning." Her stoic voice cut him off from his pointless struggle as he felt his face heat up a little bit. They were still young but Hikage recently started a habit after seeing Hinata do it.

Sighing to himself and accepting his position, Naruto leaned close to Hikage as he stared at her expressionless face. Quickly placing his lips against her cheek, he pulled back and saw her lips twitch at his action. Kissing her cheek was her stipulation every morning, he'd try to get out of bed without it, but it hasn't worked yet.

"Good morning Naru." Her tone didn't seem different, though Naruto's been with her every day for years. He could tell she was happy.

"Yeah yeah, good morning Hikage-chan." He gave her a small grin as she started to untangle herself from him.

"Let's go see what Hinata is doing." Hikage sat cross legged in the middle of the bed now, looking at him and expecting him to know what comes next.

Fighting the urge to frown due to how Hikage addresses Hinata, Naruto quickly got off the bed and offered his back like he used to when he was younger. Hikage had a lot of habits pertaining to Naruto, the piggyback one never left her even as she aged.

Quickly getting onto his back and securing her arms around his neck comfortably, Hikage was in one of her usual positions when it came to transport. She wasn't good at saying what she liked often but his piggyback rides were on the top of her list, which mostly consisted of... Naruto unsurprisingly.

Naruto held onto her thighs and suppressed his embarrassment from the fact that she wasn't wearing shorts again, something Hinata would probably give her hell about. He did his best to ignore the feeling as he moved to the kitchen to hopefully prevent his mom from burning the house down.

"Fucking stupid eggs." Naruto peeked into the kitchen with Hikage on his back and saw a Hinata who looked like she just rolled out of bed standing next to a lump of black coal?

"Kaa-chan... Is that breakfast...?" Naruto's voice made Hinata spin around fast and stare at them owlishly. Having two eleven year old's judge her failures was not really what she wanted today. She gave a shaky grin before shaking her head.

"Naruto...Hikage... Of course not! This was just a test, I was only seeing if the stove was working today!" Awful excuse. She knew it.

'...What an awful excuse.' Hikage didn't buy it, as usual.

"Oh! I mean, we can wait for breakfast then Kaa-chan, no big deal!" Naruto bought the excuse.

Upon hearing Naruto accept her obvious bullshit and his small smile directed at her, Hinata resisted the urge to grab him and hold him close. "Naru-chan you're such a momma's boy! I love you!" Her previous shaky grin turned genuine at his red tinted cheeks.

"Love you too Kaa-chan!" Hikage gripped onto Naruto's neck just a bit tighter at the interaction she was witnessing.

"So, since breakfast isn't going to happen sometime soon, I have a better idea!" Hinata struck a pose with her usual flair. "We can have a nice picnic in the park for lunch instead! I may even make a special lunch. What do you think about that?" It would get her out of the house, and it would give Naruto and Hikage a chance to interact with others that weren't her usual people.

Naruto seemed happy at the thought of hanging out outside today and with the chance of ramen for lunch, it was too good to pass up. He nodded his head up and down excitedly. Hikage agreed simply because Naruto did, she doesn't mind relaxing outside, but if Naruto denied Hinata, then she would too.

"Great! Move your asses to the bathroom to wash up and get ready while I do the same." She paused before eyeing Hikage up and down. "Hikage-chan how many times do I have to tell you to wear pants or shorts at least?" She deadpanned at her daughters quirks. Naruto looked more embarrassed here than Hikage did. As a matter of fact, Hikage didn't look like she cared in the slightest.

"Naru likes it, he even stares at my chest every morning too." Naruto sputtered out excuses that barely formed words. Acting fast to help her child before things got out of control, Hinata spoke up after cleaning her throat.

"Listen... I think it's about that time I give you both a... special talk. I don't want to. You won't want to hear it. But I have no choice... Do I?" This was the challenges of being a parent. Hinata was stubborn though, the birds and the bees wouldn't break her.

"A... talk?" Surprisingly it was Hikage who asked the question. She tilted her head at Hinata's words, her curiosity was now peaked. A curious Hikage was dangerous.

"Just go get ready before I decide on no ramen for lunch." Similar to a yellow flash, Naruto was gone from the room with Hikage holding onto him tightly. Hinata was glad she didn't have to explain where babies came from to her children at the current moment. Hikage's sudden interest made her previous stubbornness and confidence almost disappear. She was more than happy to put it off until later.

Hinata was about to head out to clean herself up before she grits her teeth upon seeing the mess that happened on the stove because of scrambled eggs. A gang leader defeated by a simple egg dish. How pitiful.

* * *

Wearing a nice white sundress, not unlike the one she wore when she first met her two cuties, Hinata felt like herself again. Her hair was perfect, her face shining, and her confidence restored after the kitchen fiasco. She packed away the small sandwiches she made for herself and the kids along with the ramen she hoped would stay warm.

She stopped by the entrance to her home to wait for the two to come down, hopefully dressed this time. Fortunately, she didn't wait long before her eyes sparkled at seeing how cute they looked in the outfits she bought them recently.

Hikage wore a similar white sundress and matching boots that fit on her perfectly. She didn't seem like she was enjoying it, but her cuteness made Hinata not care. The dress stopped just above her knee and made Hikage look like a little angel.

'If you look past the yellow eyes currently glaring at me...' Hinata thought to herself.

Naruto followed behind wearing a nice black button up shirt and tan shorts, also perfectly fitting onto him. Hinata knew he was a cutie now but in the future, she'd have to keep the girls off of him. Unless...

Naruto's eyes lit up at seeing Hikage in the dress. "Hebi-chan you look really cute." He gave Hikage his usual smile with his compliment.

His words stopped Hikage's glare as she felt her cheeks feel warmer than usual. She eyed Naruto up and down before getting close to him.

"You look cute too Naru." She did, however, maintain eye contact despite the hot feeling in her head. This made Naruto grin at her and give her a hug, spinning her around fast making her dress flutter around.

"You smell good..."

Hinata couldn't stop her joyful laugh at the interaction between the two. It never got old for her, they constantly outdid themselves. Naruto's embarrassment and Hikage's quirks made for a fun time.

Putting her hands on her hips, Hinata decided to get them moving as the day was beautiful. "Okay enough cuties. You both look adorable but let's get a move on so we can all relax in the sun." She was about to make a move for grabbing their hands before Naruto began to move quickly. He picked up the picnic basket and turned to look at both her and Hikage.

Sticking his tongue out, Naruto taunted them both as he began to run as fast as possible to the park. This caused Hinata to become annoyed quickly, while Hikage looked upset that she was left behind.

"Naruto! You brat! You're not going to make me run in this dress!" As Naruto didn't appear to be returning, Hinata was going to turn to Hikage and grab her hand at least. That was the plan, until she saw Hikage break out into a sprint, uncaring of her own dress.

"I'm going to kick their asses." She didn't want to run, not on her rest day, not with such a expensive dress on. Damn it. "NARUTO! HIKAGE! YOU BETTER NOT LET ME CATCH YOU BOTH RIGHT NOW." Yelling at their retreating forms, the three of them made for quite a scene.

Truthfully it didn't take much effort to catch up with them, especially since Hikage managed to slow Naruto down by placing herself onto his back. That's where Hinata found both of them. Standing at the entrance to a rather large park in town, Naruto cheekily grinned at her while Hikage hung over his shoulder. Smoothing out the potential wrinkles in her dress and narrowing her eyes, Hinata approached the both of them.

"Ow! Kaa-chan!"

"... Ah."

She hit them both upside the head, lightly of course, though it still got a reaction out of them. Taking the basket from Naruto's hands as he was distracted by the 'pain', Hinata began her trek into the park to find a suitable place to relax and eat. Preferably somewhere with shade.

"Is she leaving us behind?" Naruto asked as he motioned Hikage to get off his back.

"Seems like she's in a bad mood." Hikage said as she interlocked her fingers with Naruto's. They began to follow after her while she seemingly ignored their conversation. Idly Naruto swung his arm back and forth, making Hikage's do the same with as they held hands. A couple of onlookers smiled, seeing how cute the two were together. They were an odd bunch though. A tall blonde woman, a short boy with whiskers and a girl with green hair and yellow eyes, they certainly caught people's attention quite easily.

Hinata approached a nice comfortable spot that held shade from a nearby tree and a clear view of the swing sets and other children that played in the park. She laid out a blanket from her basket and turned to finally address her kids after the little incident.

"Okay no more being brats, let's try to have a nice relaxing day here. I know you're both a bit older than the usual kids on these parks but try to have some fun together and please behave." Hinata made sure to specifically look at Naruto when telling them to behave. Hikage usually behaves, but once Naruto acts up, she follows soon after.

"Yeah yeah, we know." He looked bashful as he rubbed the back of his neck, seemingly feeling bad for making Hinata chase them on her "relaxing" day. Hikage merely nodded her head at her mother's words.

"Let's eat first because we skipped breakfast, then you can go play while I lay under the shade." Knowing they were both probably hungry, after the mess that happened with the eggs. She watched as they both began to take a seat on the blanket next to her. Hikage plopped down right onto Naruto's lap, still uncaring of the fact that she was wearing a dress. Hinata would let it slide for now, or they'd never eat at this rate.

Serving them their sandwiches and ramen, she began to eat slowly as they fed each other as per usual. Her eyes took in the comfortable looking park as she chewed delicately. Parents and children had the same idea as her today it seemed, judging by all the parks occupants. However, a scene taking place on a bench not too far away is what caught Hinata's eye.

Watching as a woman shuffled around with a camera directed at the seated girl, the young girl looked around her kids age. The girl had a smile on her face that Hinata was able to tell instantly was fake. She knew how to read people from her time on the streets and in this case, the girl was clearly putting on a show. The girl was dressed in a beautiful pink dress with a large bow of the same color sitting on top of her blonde hair. The shade was different from her own and the girls hairstyle was curled perfectly. Very unlike her own straight hair or Naruto with his messy spikes.

Hinata narrowed her eyes as she watched the women, who she almost certain was her mother based on appearance, make the girl pose like someone playing with a doll. This would continue on for a while before Hinata's curiosity got the better of her, she looked over to Naruto and Hikage.

"Do you two see that girl over there on the bench?" Her question made Naruto look up from slurping his ramen and Hikage break her attention from Naruto's unique eating habits.

"Yeah? What about her?" Naruto tilted his head as he looked to the girl now. She looked okay? He didn't know why Hinata was asking.

"Why don't you both ask her to play? Maybe you can make a new friend?" It was a bit odd to ask them to do this, but her curiosity needed to be sated. Naruto's eyes lit up at the mention of friends.

"Okay! We can ask her to play right Hikage-chan?!" Hinata knew he was excited to socialize with people his age. Naruto always wanted a lot of friends.

"... Do we have to?" Hikage wasn't very pleased at letting another girl play with Naruto and Hinata didn't blame her. Whereas Naruto wanted more friends, Hikage didn't see a point in anyone besides Naruto holding her attention.

"Hikage-chan, it's good to have other friends, plus Naruto would really like that. Right Naruto-chan?" Hinata knew she was manipulating Hikage a little bit for her to agree but with how Naruto was rapidly nodding his head, she wasn't far from the truth. Hikage didn't answer verbally, rather she nodded slowly with a frown.

Hinata decided to lead the charge and approach the woman with the kids following. She made sure to put on her best smile and have Hikage and Naruto be on their best behavior. She approached the bench and cleared her throat to get the women's attention.

"Very nice my lovely Haruka-chan! Hold that pose..." The women seemed in her own world as she snapped pictures of her daughter who didn't even look away from the camera. Hinata decided to clear her throat a bit louder this time. She heard Naruto and Hikage begin to whisper.

"Is Kaa-chan sick or something? Why's she keep doing that?"

"Hinata's weird..." Hikage's response made Hinata's brow twitch. She ignored it and decided to speak up instead of pointlessly clearing her throat.

"Excuse me? I don't mean to intrude on your wonderful day, but I'd like to ask a question if you wouldn't mind?" Hinata had to hold back the smug grin at how high class she sounded, if only she knew.

"Oh?" The girl's mother turned and looked at Hinata finally. The women was definitely beautiful, whereas her daughter had bright blonde hair, the women's was a silky black that cascaded down her back. Her expensive dress hugged her mature body tightly. She looked from Hinata to the kids at her side and gave a small smile. "Can I help you?" The camera in her hands was lowered now.

"I was just wondering if my little Hikage and Naruto could play with your daughter for a bit? They are awfully bored and don't seem to take well to the other children around here! It's dreadful for a mother like myself." The way Hinata spoke made Naruto grimace and Hikage looked like she was going to fall asleep.

The women tilted her head at Hinata before humming to herself. She then turned to her daughter. "Haruka-chan? Would you like to play with them?" The now named Haruka widened her eyes very slightly at her mother's question.

"Y-You mean I can play? Play with them?" Haruka's disbelief made Hinata narrow her eyes slightly at the reaction. The woman nodded her head and her next sentence made Hinata even more disturbed.

"I suppose it's okay for my doll to play with others her age for a bit. It doesn't hurt that you seem like such a nice lady." The compliment didn't even register to Hinata as she only paid attention to her words of "my doll". That was a different way to see her child.

"That's great! I was going to relax in the shade since I'm rather tired from work today. Would you care to join me?" It hurt to talk like this but Haruka and her mother made Hinata's curiosity boil over.

"Oh! I appreciate the offer, but do you mind if I run home to get some other outfits for my doll? I assure you it's very close to the park and you seem very caring judging by how precious your kids look, so can you watch over my Haruka-chan for a while?" The women gave her a rather beautiful smile that made Hinata even more creeped out judging by her words and her daughters lack of reaction.

"O-Of course! That's not a problem, my name is-" Hinata was cut off quickly by the mother.

"Great! I will be back! Thank you for this. My precious doll, behave yourself!" Just like that, the women was gone without even giving her name. This made Hinata and her kids look on in disbelief. Meanwhile her daughter simply stared at her own feet, not even acknowledging their presence anymore.

The gang leader turned mom watched the women run for a bit before snapping her attention back to the eleven year old that was left behind. "That was...different. Anyway, Haruka-chan right? You're a cute little thing aren't you? I'm Hinata and these are my two cuties Naruto and Hikage! I hope you all can be friends."

The girl didn't even acknowledge the comment on her looks but instead looked at her fellow kids who were curiously watching the interaction. The green haired girl was looking at her with cold yellow eyes, seemingly not caring about her. The blond boy was staring at her with a large smile that made her feel a bit embarrassed. Why was he looking at her like that?

"Yo! I'm Naruto! Want to be friends?!" He certainly wasn't subtle about his intentions. His bright grin looked radiant in the sunlight.

"...I'm Hikage..." She saw no point in hanging out with this girl that looked more like a doll than a person. Hikage knew it would be considered rude to think like this. After her experience with people her own age at the orphanage, she only wanted Naruto.

"You want to be friends with me?" Haruka's previous uninterested look changed as she heard Naruto's question.

"Yeah! Do you not want to be friends?" Naruto tilted his head at her while Hinata merely watched the interaction silently.

"I've never had any friends..." The younger blonde girl hung her head in shame, the large pink bow followed her movement. Her words only made Hinata frown even more and Naruto looked surprised.

"Eh? Why not? Actually, it doesn't matter! Hebi-chan and I will be your first friends!" He threw his arm around Hikage who seemingly spaced out after her introduction. Truth was she was watching this girl closely.

Hikage may not care about others besides Naruto and Hinata, but the way this girl looked surprised at someone wanting to be a friend reminded her too much of... herself. While she doesn't understand emotions fully, she does know that without Naruto, and to some extent Hinata, she would be lost. Haruka's mom seemed nice enough even though there was something off about her.

"Really? Do you both want to play? If that's okay with you?" Haruka's green eyes looked hopefully at Naruto's who merely gave her a thumbs up. Hikage looked indifferent. Hinata knew her daughter would never deny Naruto of anything.

"We do! Let's go on the swings. Is that okay Kaa-chan?" He looked to his unusually quiet mother who nodded before responding back.

"Sure, just be careful you three. It's quite busy today, I don't want you causing any trouble Naruto-chan." Her words made Naruto grumble before he separated from Hikage and approached Haruka by the bench.

Naruto grabbed her hand with his own, making both Haruka and Hikage widen their eyes substantially. Hinata watched with a strained smile now, Naruto didn't really know that they just met and physical contact might not be okay. Judging by Haruka's blush and Hikage's now sharp gaze, this could get bad.

Taking a seat on the bench where Haruka previously occupied, Hinata hoped her curiosity didn't cause any trouble involving Hikage and her little obsession with Naruto. Oh well, today was her day to relax. She was sure nothing would happen from introducing Naruto and Hikage to new people. With those thoughts she watched the park with uninterested eyes knowing that her kids weren't far and were hopefully enjoying themselves. Suddenly hit with a wave of fatigue, Hinata closed her eyes just for a minute.

* * *

"Give me a nickname!"

"... No."

"Hikage-san, I'm not asking you. I'm asking Naruto-kun!"

"He can't."

"Yes he can!"

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck as he watched the two girls argue over nicknaming. Haruka became curious of him constantly saying "Hebi-chan" and wanted one from her new friend. While he wouldn't mind giving her one, he simply couldn't think of one right now.

"Stop being so selfish! I want a nickname too." Haruka was indeed jealous that she wasn't included in getting a nickname. Never having any friends before, she didn't know how to properly act around others.

"No, only I get one." Hikage treasured the simple nickname for the sole fact that it was from Naruto. She didn't want some doll girl taking that from her.

"You're a selfish girl!"

"... Annoying doll." That made Haruka's eyes widen.

Seeing the situation getting out of hand, Naruto stepped in and got in between the two girls.

"Haruka-chan I don't really have a nickname for you right now, ya know?. Hikage-chan can you stop being so mean to our new friend?" This didn't seem to be the best thing to say to Hikage judging by her dead look. A look that Naruto hasn't seen directed at him since the first time they met. He didn't like it. Before he can say something else, Hikage turned away and headed back over to Hinata.

"Hebi-chan?" She didn't respond to his words but instead kept walking. Before he could go after her, Haruka pulled on his arm. Naruto looked into her teary green eyes.

"Naruto-kun she's very mean. Why do you like her so much?" The whole time Hikage would barley acknowledge Haruka, and the comment about being a doll made her feel awful. Her mother's words rang throughout her ears. All the times she would dress her up, the pictures, the poses, the flashes of the cameras. That word, doll, she _hated_ it.

"Haruka... Hikage-chan is different ya know..." He rubbed his neck again thinking over his words before continuing. "I'm sorry she made fun of you. She's not usually like that." He also knew he needed to apologize to her for his comment about her being mean.

"It's okay, I'm sorry for bothering you for a nickname. I hope we can still be friends Naruto-kun..." She wiped the tears away and pushed away the memories related to that word.

"We are! Hikage-chan will come around Haruka-chan. She just needs to get to know you better." He hoped his newest friend can eventually be friends with his favorite person.

"Can we still play? Or do you want to go get Hikage-san?" Naruto turned to see Hikage waking up a groggy Hinata on the benches and knew that his mom would be able to take care of Hikage for now. He didn't want to lose his chance at making more friends.

"We can play for a while longer Haruka-chan." The smile he got in return made his cheeks feel warm, something that Hikage usually only did to him. Haruka pulled his arm again as she led him to the swing sets.

* * *

"...Hinata..."

"...Hinata..."

"...Hinata..."

The same monotone voice is what Hinata woke up to as she opened her eyes slowly. She took in her surroundings quickly, she was surprised she actually fell asleep at the park of all places. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at the other occupant of the bench. Hikage was staring at her with half lidded eyes. That made Hinata a little concerned.

"Hikage-chan... Are you okay?" She's never seen Hikage look so defeated. The girl wasn't good at showing her emotions, but right now she wasn't able to read anything.

"..." Her lack of a response certified that something happened. Seeing as how Naruto wasn't with her, something definitely happened involving the new girl. Oh boy.

"Hikage, you have to help me out here, I can't read minds you know." Hinata sat up straighter, it was time to go into "mom mode". She was new at it, however her skills were improving.

"... Why does Naruto want to play with her? He kept pushing her on the swing instead of me. Why did he play with her first? He also was going to give her a nickname, only I get a nickname." Hikage looked into her mom's eyes deeply, who seemed surprised at how much her daughter just talked at once.

Hinata knew how possessive Hikage was of Naruto. The girl was jealous. Extremely so. While she may have no problem playing with the girl because of Naruto's excitement, she did not want to be second place to anybody. She needed to explain to Hikage what jealousy was and ensure her that Naruto cared about her. The only reason this was serious to Hinata was because she wanted Hikage to start to put a name to the emotions she's feelings. Even if they were negative.

"Well Hikage-chan, Naruto is a very caring person. He's just being nice to his new friend. You and I both know he always wanted more friends."

"He doesn't need any other friends, he has me." Hinata looked to the heavens, being a mother was hard.

"Listen Hikage... I know you aren't crazy about having friends, but do you want Naruto to be upset by taking his new friend away?"

"... I don't want Naru to be upset." Hikage looked down at her lap.

Hinata patted her on the head while responding. "I know baby. You have to realize that Naruto is going to talk with other people besides you or me. You will too one day."

Pondering her mother's words, Hikage asked Hinata another question. "Why does my chest hurt when he pays attention to Haruka?"

Hinata thought over her words. She wasn't the best at this so she should just come out and tell her. "You're jealous Hikage-chan."

"Jealous?" Now those yellow eyes looked very confused.

"Yes, jealous. You are jealous. That pain you get is because you're afraid Naruto is going to replace you with someone else."

"Jealous..." Hikage was a smart girl. She may not get the whole emotions thing on her own, but Hinata was laying it all out for her.

Pulling Hikage onto her lap, Hinata rested her chin on top of her daughters head and watched from afar as Naruto pushed a happy Haruka on the swings.

"Hikage... Naruto loves you. I know both of you may not understand, but he does. You're his Hebi-chan after all. Even if he gives someone else a nickname, yours would mean more." If she could see Hikage's face, she would have seen her snake like eyes peering at Naruto in the distance.

"Love." Hikage whispered quietly.

"Mhm. Love. You're both young but you're attached to an extreme that I've never seen before. Don't worry about what others do, you'll always have each other." She spun around Hikage in her lap now so they were facing each other. "And hey. If they try to take Naruto-chan, just kick their ass right Hikage?" Hinata gave a savage grin that looked out of place on her beautiful face. It still succeeded in making Hikage's mouth curve upwards.

"Thank you... Kaa-san." Hikage almost seemed embarrassed saying those words. Hinata on the other hand couldn't be happier. Her eyes lit up and she kissed Hikage on the forehead.

"No problem cutie, I just want you to understand these things so that you don't confuse Naruto even more than he is usually." She suddenly sat up even straighter upon remembering something.

"Where is Haruka-chan's mother?! She said it'd only be a few minutes. I definitely fell asleep for longer than that."

"She's weird." Hikage bluntly stated.

"Hell yeah she is, but it's not normal for her to leave her daughter in a park with strangers. I'm going to get Haruka back over here and try to take her home." Pulling Hikage up with her she gathered the picnic basket and blanket from before and moved to Naruto and Haruka.

"Higher Naruto-kun! Higher!"

"Haruka-chan my arms hurt!"

"C'mon Naruto-kun!"

Haruka looked like a completely different girl now that Hinata saw her happily smiling, genuinely at that. It seemed Naruto had a special gift in making friends with unlikely people.

"Excuse me, Haruka-chan? I don't want to end the day, but your mother hasn't returned and it's been quite a while. Do you know your address so I can take you to her?" The girls smile dropped at the mention of her mother. She turned to Hinata with a blank look before nodding her head. Naruto looked on confused at both Haruka's change of attitude and at the fact that her mother didn't return. He also tried looking to Hikage, but she kept averting her eyes from his whenever he tried.

"Well if you don't mind leading the way, I'll hold onto your hand Haruka-chan and you can direct me." Hinata really didn't want to interrupt her son and his new friend. Haruka walked with Hinata holding a unreadable look in her eyes, Naruto felt very awkward with everything happening around him right now. Hikage wasn't attached to him, Haruka got quiet and Hinata was focused on only her. He sighed to himself before following behind Hinata quickly.

* * *

The walk was only ten minutes away from the park, which only caused Hinata to be even more confused over the mother's disappearance. The three kids were quiet the whole way, creating a tense atmosphere.

"Is it this one Haruka-chan?" Hinata asked, looking up at a very large home. It was easy to see that Haruka's family was extremely wealthy.

"Yes..." The blonde girl looked upset now that she arrived home.

"Okay, let's go see what's up." Hinata entered through the gate leading to the front door of the grandiose home. Ringing the doorbell yielded no results and only served to make the kids stand there awkwardly. Naruto and Haruka at least, Hikage looked about as interested as one would in watching paint dry. Hinata was about to ring the bell again before the door opened suddenly.

A handsome man, blond and tall opened the door. His style of clothing was not unlike Haruka and her mother, very expensive fabrics covered his body. He peered at the group, his eyes widening at Haruka and Hinata.

"Ah! Haruka-chan! Where were you?" The man opened the door slightly more allowing Hinata to see the extravagant interior of the home slightly.

"I was playing in the park, father." Her tone was rather cold, something that made Naruto surprised.

"I'm grateful this beautiful woman brought you home then." The man gave a smile to Hinata that admittedly made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

"It was no problem, she was playing with my children. Would you happen to know where her mother went?"

"Oh, Haruka-chan's mother got caught up in a... situation. She had to leave for a bit, but again I appreciate your help miss." Hinata really was convinced Haruka had a strange family, the poor girl. She cleared her throat before addressing the father. She wanted to end this awkward confrontation.

"You're welcome. Haruka-chan is a beautiful young girl. Naruto, Hikage. Say your goodbyes for now. Hopefully you all can meet up again." The father barely even acknowledged the 3 children, he was too busy looking over Hinata's form.

Haruka looked to Naruto first, giving him a small real smile before giving him a quick hug. "Thank you for playing with me Naruto-kun, and thanks for being my friend. I'll never forget it." The way she worded it made Naruto a bit confused, but he gave a grin back and responded.

"No problem Haruka-chan! Let's play again sometime!" His words made her blush slightly, she broke eye contact before looking to Hikage.

"Hikage-san."

"...Haruka."

"It was" Haruka paused for a second "nice to meet you."

"Same to you." Hikage responded with a dull voice. She wasn't ready for Haruka to suddenly lean in close to her for a hug. She didn't even respond to the contact before she heard the girl whisper in her ear with venom.

"Call me a doll again and me taking Naruto-kun will be the least of your problems." Those words made Hikage's eyes narrow dangerously. She would have responded if Haruka didn't break the hug and bow slightly to Hinata.

"Thank you so much for taking care of me and letting me play with Naruto-kun." Haruka's tone changed back to her usual cold one. Hinata really wanted out of this situation now, everything was giving her a headache. She still had to respond.

"No problem dear, don't be a stranger alright?" Her words made Haruka's dad turn his attention back to her.

"Same goes for you. Don't be a stranger." He gave her a smirk that was not appropriate for a married man. The kids all didn't pick up on his innuendo obviously, but she did. She was also cut off like Hikage was when dealing with Haruka as the man pulled Haruka inside and shut the door slowly. Haruka eyed Naruto until the door shut completely.

Hinata blinked at the closed door, extremely confused with the events that took place today. Her curiosity was her downfall, all it managed to do was give her a goddamn headache. So much for a relaxing day at the park.

"That was so weird!" Naruto said out loud, summing up the situation quite well. Hikage on the other hand was glaring at the door with surprising anger that she probably didn't know she was feeling.

Having had enough of this strange day, Hinata decided it was time to head home. She was going to tell the kids to head out before Naruto jumped in front of Hikage, drawing her attention back to him.

"Hikage... Hebi-chan I'm sorry I had to play with Haruka. I didn't mean to insult you. I just wanted another friend ya know? Please forgive me?" His blue eyes staring into her own made Hikage's stomach feel weird. She thought for a second before responding.

"It's fine Naru. You owe me though." Seeing his questioning look she continued on. "You know what we do in the morning? I want that more." His blush made her satisfied. He still nodded at her demands. Hinata just looked between the two before pushing them together.

"Hug it out kids. You lovebirds are so cute!" It was funny seeing how Naruto and Hikage hugged each other so close. For Hinata it was even more amusing when Naruto would blush because Hikage started to develop early.

They broke the hug as Naruto suddenly leaned over and Hikage easily got the message. Jumping onto his back she breathed in his scent deeply as he gripped her tightly. Looking to their mother, she nodded signaling them to leave Haruka's home.

Naruto broke out into a sprint the second they left the gate, making Hinata watch with a twitch as he ran down the street. Knowing him, he would probably get lost. She was going to follow before stopping for a second. Something was up. She looked around without moving her body.

Focusing her eyes onto a rather tall building across the street, she saw a woman with purple hair and a face mask staring directly at her from the roof. She blinked her eyes a couple times, before realizing the woman was gone. Hinata narrowed her eyes slightly. Was she watching them?

Hinata looked back to her kids running down the street and promised herself that she'd keep a closer eye on them due to the strange woman. She wasn't stupid, she knew shinobi supposedly existed, and that women's appearance certainly fit the description of one.

What would a shinobi want with her or her kids? 'Hopefully nothing or I'll have a lot of ass to kick in the future.' Her sadistic smile appeared again at her thoughts.

It was a mother's duty to protect her children after all.

* * *

**AN – **So that's chapter 3. My main goal right now is establishing how different characters would change with Naruto's presence. Hinata has little to no information available but its fun to actually form a personality for her.

I'm not crazy about having to utilize time skips so much, but I can't exactly jump ahead to when Naruto and Hikage are older without explaining what lead up to it. Senran Kagura is not exactly a series with the easiest lore at times. The anime is quite different from the games stories but I'm trying to make it work.

I do appreciate the reviews though, it actually means a lot that people are actually reading something that randomly came to my mind a while ago. Thanks for reading :).

Don't forget Hikage is best girl, I mean c'mon. Just look at her.


	4. Shadows and Emotion

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

Watching her two troublemakers fight was always a spectacle. It was both scary and reassuring as a mother to see how well Hikage and Naruto fought even if it was against each other. Hinata knew they both initially hated to spar with each other but once they started, there's no stopping them. It was hard to even keep up with them anymore. If not for her years of experience, Hinata would wonder how it was possible for two teenagers to pull off feats like this.

Ever since the day she saw the purple haired woman supposedly observing her, Hinata grew concerned. Not for herself, but for her children. She was a leader of a gang that made its home in the red light district of Tokyo, she was bound to have information on things the general public were clueless about. In this case it happened to be about shinobi.

Shinobi. Hinata didn't particularly care for them. She knew in the past they served under the feudal lords of Japan, focusing on espionage, subversion and assassination. In modern times they've become something of a myth to the common man, seemingly disappearing from the earth. That couldn't be any less true. While she's never had any contact with one personally, she knew they lived within society, working for whom though, she did not know.

Hinata was strong, she had to be to get where she was. However, against a shinobi, she wasn't so sure of herself. That's why despite the fact that she's making her children train with dangerous weapons and people, she was glad they were monsters in combat. Hinata has no idea if they'd encounter ninja in the future, but even if she's not around, she knows they'll be alright. They were both excellent fighters on their own. Together, she was overwhelmed easily.

Breaking out her thoughts, as she usually was when it pertained to the two, she turned her attention back to the fight. They've been going at it for a while now, they were stamina freaks, despite Hikage's laziness elsewhere. She just hoped they didn't go overboard like usual.

* * *

Dancing around with her knife, which was much lighter and thinner than her mother's, Hikage felt alive. She struggles to grasp emotions and has an even tougher time naming them, but when she's in a fight, her heart is pounding in her chest. Only one other thing makes her heart jump even more, and he happens to be standing across from her.

Eyeing her opponent, she pushed certain thoughts aside and rushed in, ignoring his grin at her actions. Her sprint changed from a rather normal one, to her unique style, ducking and moving not unlike how a snake would be on the hunt. She got in close to her prey, pivoted around him and extended her wrist, aiming for his now exposed shoulder blade with her knife. Her fighting style was based on hit and run tactics in a way, never sticking around long enough for her prey to turn the tables on her.

The knife didn't connect. Rather, her wrist was seized by a hand clamping down on it. Thinking quickly, she kicked up, showing her extreme flexibility and tried to strike her opponent in his left arm. However, he expected the show of dexterity from her, using his forearm to block the kick and push her back whilst twisting her wrist. She bit back a wince at the slight pain he was placing on her wrist, but her dull expression changed to a sadistic grin suddenly.

The rush she felt when she was locked in a position like this, seemingly no way out and lacking options, was what made fighting worth it. Sure, she usually made quick work of certain people, specifically Hinata's gang members who felt they were able to take on the two young teenagers due to their arrogance. This was different though, there was a reason for why she _felt_ this_._

Naruto gave her a smirk as he locked her wrist in place with his grip. They both knew physically he could overpower her, though she wasn't worried quite yet. They've been going at it for while. She always had a trick up her sleeve, in this case her trick just happens to be another knife.

Utilizing the thin black leather bracers she had on both arms, she used her left hand to withdraw a knife with shocking speed, intending on freeing her other body part. Her quick movement caused Naruto to let go, lest he would have taken a knife to the abdomen. He jumped back a bit, still with the damned smirk on his face as she rubbed her slightly sore wrist.

"Is that all Hebi-chan? This can't be all you got." The smirk turned even more taunting, knowing that even with her claims of having no emotions, he knew how to get under her skin.

Sheathing the knife while keeping her eyes locked onto his own, she kept her face free of emotion now due to the taunting words, which wasn't hard in the least for her. Like a bullet she was off again, this time moving even faster than before. Naruto's previous smirk was lost now, noticing she was serious.

He saw her direct approach and figured she'd go for the usual knife strike, knowing her style well. He was somewhat shocked when she ducked under his outstretched arm and put all her strength into a punch directed right at his stomach. He felt that one. He didn't even have time to wince as she was upon him again, aiming for his left side, knife primed and ready.

Anyone else would be nervous in this situation, a normal person could potentially die from the numerous cuts he received from Hikage's wild knife strikes over the years. Naruto wasn't normal. He never knew why, he couldn't even explain it to his mother. He just knew what to do in situations like these. There was no doubt in his mind that Hikage was extremely skilled, but with his instincts, he planned everything out after seeing her approach.

Instead of jumping away, or try to dodge the strikes, Naruto went head on into her attacks. The slight widening of her yellow eyes showed her surprise at his actions. He got in close, so close that a slight mistake would make it almost assured that he'd be stabbed potentially somewhere fatal. That was if he was going to make a mistake. Naruto didn't plan on making one here.

The knife was almost at his rib cage, when he twisted his body and grabbed Hikage suddenly. Locking her into a hold with one arm, while his other withdrew a knife from the only sleeve remaining of his torn up track suit. Placing the knife against her neck, he released a breath he held in at his risky move. He was sure of himself, but if it weren't for these instincts, he wasn't sure where he'd be right now.

Hikage froze in his grip. He knew his obscure maneuver shocked her and the knife by her neck signaled the end of the spar. Naruto gave a shaky grin feeling his body pressed close to her own. They were both thirteen now, Hikage was soon to be fourteen in a few days, and their bodies were continuing to grow as puberty was kicking in. The torn red and black tracksuits that Hinata had for them were also rather thin, adding to his embarrassment.

Naruto, deciding to share the embarrassment for once, got close to Hikage's ear and whispered. "It's my win Hikage-chan."

If possible, Hikage froze even more upon his words. His warm breath hitting her ear caused her body to feel very strange. Naruto knew she was in a tough position right now, yet she wouldn't give in. He was curious as to why, before he felt it. Pressing ever so slightly into his lower stomach was a knife. The feeling was so slight that if he didn't notice in a real fight, he'd already be bleeding out.

"..."

"..."

They both just held their position, Naruto holding Hikage tightly to him, both knives ready for what would certainly be fatal strikes.

"It's a draw you idiots! Naruto, are you going to keep pressing yourself to her like that? Or should I leave for a bit?" Hinata's words broke then both out of their little trance, Hikage finally realized her position after Hinata's shout. Naruto on the other hand...

"Kaa-chan! It was a spar ya know. I had to make sure it ended that's all!" Red faced, he separated from Hikage quickly. He ignored his thoughts about how nice it felt to be pushed up against her.

Hinata hummed to herself, debating on if she should tease her children more. She eyed their current clothing and general changes. They truly have come a long way from the dirty street rats they were. She liked to pay attention to their changes, it made her feel proud as a mother.

Disregarding his embarrassed face, Naruto was becoming quite handsome. The torn up tracksuit revealed that his body was becoming quite muscled from his daily exercise and fighting. Those whisker marks still stood out on his expressive face, and his bright blue eyes were currently avoiding looking at the other occupant in the clearing.

Hikage looked like she spaced out again, but Hinata using her recently developed "mom detective mode", knew the girl was thinking about Naruto and his actions from a couple seconds ago. She took a moment to admire how well Hikage was growing. The girls clothing was torn up all over the place as well, something that was the norm for whenever they sparred. The thin clothing still did a poor job to hide Hikage's developing figure that Hinata knew would surpass her own in a few years. Besides her assets becoming larger and body filling out early, Hikage's face still looked the same to anyone that wasn't a part of their little family.

Those yellow eyes and dead expression would make others feel uneasy, but Hinata and Naruto were easily to see underneath all that. It was certainly easier for Naruto, who was connected so closely to her, though Hinata was learning as well. Hikage was human, she quite obviously had emotions just like everyone else despite her words. Her time in the orphanage stunted her growth in that aspect. It was a challenge to draw them out unless you were named Naruto.

'This boy is something else.' Hinata thought with a small smile as she looked towards him as he approached his partner in crime. To the surprise of Hinata, Naruto had a hell of a lot more charisma than her. He was able to interact with people far older than him so well to the point that they were willing to listen to him. She wouldn't be surprised if her gang started following him over her in the future. Yet his talent for being charismatic to those in her gang didn't translate to others. He struggled with people his own age in particular. Especially after his seemingly failed friendship with that girl two years ago.

Fighting off a frown on her beautiful face, Hinata decided not to think about her sons broken expression following the loss of his only other friend. Instead she listened in on what she was sure could lead to more teasing in the future.

"You alright Hikage-chan? I didn't hurt you or anything right?" Naruto stepped right in front of Hikage, doing his best to avoid looking at her ripped shirt and pants which revealed her underwear quite easily. Hikage snapped her eyes to his own after hearing his questions.

"That was a good fight. I didn't expect you to grapple me like that." Her stare remained on him as he bashfully rubbed back of his neck, that was another small quirk he had.

"It was kind of a split second decision ya know. If I didn't time it right, you could have actually killed me Hebi-chan." Despite his serious words, he gave her a bright grin. He was confused when she shook her head in the negative.

"No. Even if it was close, I knew that you would get out of it. I know you... Naru." Her words made him blush a bit, not for anything provocative, rather for her faith in his ability.

"... But because you held that knife at my throat for so long, you owe me." Her eyes bore into his own.

Withholding his comment at the fact that she also held a knife to him, he decided to agree to whatever request she'd have. He really couldn't deny her anything, he lo-

"Just kiss already you two jeez! If you don't though let's go home, you two both look like shit and definitely need to shower." Hinata ruined their conversation again as she gave a smirk to both of them.

"Oi! It's not our fault your gangs outfits suck!" Naruto called back to her from his spot next to Hikage. Hinata merely waved off his complaints about the outfits.

"It's not my fault you both can't be careful in a simple spar, shredding each other's clothes. I swear you both do it on purpose." Her smirk made Naruto's eye twitch. He then gave a cocky smile before going back at her.

"Don't be jealous Kaa-chan. Maybe one day someone will want to tear your clothes off." His words made Hinata glare at him before crossing the distance in a second. She still had to look down as Naruto is shorter, but he was slowly approaching her height.

"You trying to start a fight right now punk? It'll be embarrassing for you to get your ass kicked by your mother. I'd recommend shutting up." She matched his expression.

"Hah! As if you could... Hag." He fired back.

Hinata looked ready to put her child in his place at calling a beautiful young woman like her a hag. She's only recently turned 25, she wasn't even in her prime yet!

The little verbal fight was interrupted by Hikage who jumped onto Naruto's back and coiled her legs around his waist. She gave them both a dull look as they turned their faces to her.

"You both always do this. Can we go home now? Naru owes me." She wasn't wrong. Naruto and Hinata often argued with each other over nonsense. It's how they bonded, with insults and curses. Hinata may be a questionably good mother to them, but she never claimed to be a good role model.

Naruto grumbled at the argument being interrupted as he fixed his arms into their usual place of around Hikage's thighs. Hinata stuck her tongue out at Naruto, making him narrow his eyes at her. She only laughed at his angry look before putting her hands behind her head.

"Alright. You know I was thinking of making ramen tonight..." At her words, Naruto's angry look dropped before he ran past her, not before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and started to sprint home with Hikage on his back. Hinata couldn't keep the smile from blooming on her face at his actions, he really was a momma's boy. She laughed hard at seeing Hikage tighten her grip around Naruto due to her jealousy and his shout of supposed pain was amusing.

Hinata didn't know if her parents abandoned her, and at this point in her life, she didn't care anymore. All she cared for now was ensuring her two precious delinquents would be happy. She simply couldn't put her gang first anymore. She would never abandon it and she'd be there for any issues, but Hikage and Naruto were priority number one in her life.

She was completely fine with that.

* * *

Returning home didn't take very long and it was a relatively silent journey. Hikage and Naruto were relaxing after their rather intense spar. Hinata was simply enjoying the atmosphere of being with her kids.

Unlocking the door, Hinata stepped in and kicked her shoes off as Naruto placed Hikage down. She turned to them before addressing something that would no doubt embarrass Naruto.

"Are you going to shower together? If so, I'll use my own bathrooms shower, so I don't have to wait for one of you to finish." She wasn't disappointed when seeing Hikage's expression change ever so slightly at her words.

In the past they showered together constantly. After the dreaded talk Hinata gave them about a year back, they didn't do it every day. The reason behind the change was Naruto. For a few days after the talk, he couldn't even sleep in the same bed as Hikage. The girl was probably pissed without knowing it. Hinata only knew of her daughters anger because of her glares becoming more venomous for a while.

Hikage showed little to no outright reaction to learning about sex. However, this didn't mean she wasn't paying attention. Hinata was a bit concerned about the serious stare she was receiving the whole time she discussed where babies come from.

Back to the present, Hinata noticed Naruto look away from Hikage who looked thoughtful for a split second. The green haired girl gave a nod before speaking.

"Yes. Naru owes me after all." Hikage _usually_ didn't have a listing of her dislikes, but Naruto's reluctance to shower with her recently was one of them. Her words caused Naruto to accept his defeat over the matter before walking to the bathroom.

Hinata watched as Naruto entered the bathroom with his tomato impression taking over his face. Hikage's next actions caused her to deadpan and question her parenting skills for the thousandth time. The girl began to strip out of her ripped clothes as she walked towards the bathroom until all that remained was a leopard print bra and panty set.

"Hikage. What did I tell you about leaving clothes all over the house?" Seeing Hikage like this really established the fact that her daughter was a early bloomer. And oh did she bloom.

Hikage stopped her stride to the bathroom before looking at her clothes on the floor. She quickly unclasped her bra and stepped out of her panties to be completely naked by the closed bathroom door. The snake like girl looked her mother in the eye.

"Don't care. Bath time." And with those monotone words the girl entered the bathroom. Hinata looked to the ceiling for guidance before gathering Hikage's discarded clothes and heading to her own shower. Halfway up the stairs, she shook her head in amusement over Naruto's startled yelp ringing throughout the house.

* * *

Stirring a rather large pot of ramen, Hinata hummed peacefully to herself. There were times when she felt drained from managing a bunch of criminals and coming home to two teenagers. Despite the lack of energy she has at times, she'd never trade it for anything. Something as simple as making dinner makes her happy to do.

The sound of footsteps approaching the kitchen fast were more than enough to tell Hinata that Naruto knew the ramen was almost done. She wasn't wrong when two seconds later, a barely dressed Naruto ducked into the kitchen. Having a towel around his neck and only wearing a pair of blue boxers, Hinata eyed his form with disapproval.

"Is it almost done Kaa-chan?! I'm starving!" His sparkling eyes were locked onto the pot of steaming noodles.

"Yes, just about." She pointed at him with her well-manicured finger. "If you don't go put clothes on, you won't be getting any though Naruto-chan." Sometimes it felt like her children were still... well children.

Naruto pouted at her words, uncaring of his state of dress if it meant he could have his favorite dish sooner. Hinata couldn't help but wonder where Hikage was since Naruto usually can't escape her grasp. Opening her mouth to ask where her daughter was, she closed it immediately and narrowed her eyes at the sight of Hikage.

"Ah. This is why you ran so fast. I knew you wouldn't leave for any other reason." Hikage strolled into the kitchen, naked and unashamed. A white towel around her neck, similar to Naruto, which didn't even attempt to cover her body. She ran her slit eyes over Naruto's form before looking to her mother with a tilted head, just now noticing the dry look Hinata was sending her.

"Hikage-chan... Please don't walk around naked. Even if Naruto doesn't mind-" She paused as she saw Naruto averting his eyes from Hikage's body at her words. "I don't want you to develop any... bad habits..." She didn't want her daughter being some kind of exhibitionist in the future.

"Bad habits?" Hikage's bored voice questioned her mother.

"Yes, are you going to do this around other people in the future? It's good not to be embarrassed about your body, but this is different." Hinata asked her daughter while keeping her eye on the ramen, she wouldn't mess this up like she has in the past.

"No, I'll only do this around Naru... but if I'm in a fight and my clothes get ruined, so what?" Hikage responded as she got a bit closer to Naruto, who was doing his best to simply focus on the ramen. It wasn't working.

"I guess that's... alright? However, I'm your mother and don't want to see my daughter walking around naked constantly. Also, I swear if you leave your bra and panties all over the floor, there will be hell to pay. Got it?" Hinata's gave her daughter a look that made Hikage actually nod her head fast. She smiled before looking to Naruto. "You're a lucky guy huh Naruto-chan?"

Naruto looked confused at her words before his gaze shifted to Hikage. His whiskered cheeks flushed. Despite the fact that they literally just bathed together, Hikage always made him embarrassed.

Hinata's smile dropped when she realized they still weren't leaving to get dressed. "Naruto...Hikage.. Go get dressed now. Or I will poison this food I swear." She was an amazing mother.

"... Sadist." Hikage's words were whispered to Naruto, but Hinata had the hearing of a mother.

"You're one to talk 'Hebi-chan.' Now go, get out of here." She shooed them away with a glare. Naruto was gone in an instant, not wanting his precious dinner to be ruined. Hikage just stuck her very long tongue out at Hinata mockingly before following Naruto to their room.

Not surprising at all, Naruto and Hikage returned rather quickly to the kitchen. Seated at the small table, Hinata was glad that they at least had some manner of clothing on. Even though Hikage was literally just wearing one of Naruto's shirts and panties, Hinata would let it slide so they could eat.

Having Naruto sing her praises over the ramen and watching as he fed Hikage, Hinata mused again over how nice it was to have family. The only thing that continued to eat away at her was that girl with the purple hair. Even now when relaxing at dinner with her kids, she couldn't shake the nauseating feeling she got from thinking about that shinobi.

'Hah, as if shinobi have anything on me.' She thought to herself as she gave a cocky grin, confusing the two occupants at the table.

She'd like to see those anyone try to take her kids away. It would be the last mistake they would make.

* * *

"These are the ones you've been watching then?" A rough voice carried throughout a somewhat dark room. The voice was that of a man. He was rather tall, dressed in a black suit that complimented his slicked back white hair. Currently he was seated at an expensive looking desk, surrounded by paperwork and photos.

"Yes Reo-sama. I observe them while off duty from my own set of missions." This time the voice responding was one of a young woman.

The man, known as Reo, looked up from the set of pictures that were displayed before him to address the woman. The candlelight did little to hide her rather beautiful appearance. Not that the man cared much for that.

"Keep it up Rin. I'm not sure myself why our biggest investor, Dōgen-san, is so keen on observing them." He scratched at his chin, pondering their investors decision.

"They are exceptionally skilled, despite being at such a age Reo-sama. Perhaps Dōgen-san sees their potential." The now named Rin responded.

With her purple hair tied into a bun and unique red eyes she already made for an attractive appearance. Her body only amplified that attractiveness for any who've seen her. Wearing a tight sleeveless shirt that exposes her midriff with a piece connecting to her nose and mouth to work as a mask, her fit body was put on display. Around her neck is a red scarf with various triangles designed onto it. She also wears baggy red pants with knee-length black high-top sandals complete with a long gray cloth wrapped around her waist. The most provocative piece of clothing was perhaps the high rise black panties that were just barely able to be seen.

Reo grunted at his subordinates words, eyeing the three pictures set before him again. The blonde girl with the pink bow in her hair seemed somewhat normal, if not for the information Rin had on her. The other two... the blond boy with whiskers and the green haired girl made quite the unique combo. He raised their pictures first.

"These two... they are being raised by that infuriating woman I see. The one who leads Daybreak?" He gave a scowl as he thought about the troublesome gang.

"Correct Reo-sama. Her name is Hinata, who despite not being trained as a shinobi, she is a still just as dangerous." Rin told her boss, also eyeing the pictures of the three.

"I'm not sure how Dōgen-san learned of three seemingly random teenagers, but it's odd considering this is an all-girls academy and he's scouting a boy?" Reo narrowed his eyes in thought. If this could benefit them in the end, he wouldn't care about the gender of the student. He wasn't sure how others would react, but he was in charge here, his decision was final. Rin's words broke him from his internal questioning.

"The boy is extremely skilled Reo-sama. He does not even utilize any techniques like we shinobi do, yet he's capable of physical feats that shouldn't be possible. The girl as well, while not as physically capable, she's fast and deadly. Exactly like the woman who raised her." Despite the fact that she was complimenting them, Rin's tone was clipped and cold. At the end of the day, this was her job, she didn't have a reason to care about them outside of her mission.

"Hm. And this one... Haruka. What makes the daughter of a wealthy doctor a potential student here?" He leaned back in his seat, eyeing the purple haired woman.

"She is very devious and cunning Reo-sama. The girl hates her parents to an extreme degree, her father more so than her mother. The reason behind this is due to years of her father's infidelity and her mother's somewhat odd and abusive relationship. The fact that I also observe her while she mixes volatile and dangerous chemicals in secret shows how intelligent she can be. While she's less physically capable than the other two, she can still become a valued shinobi." Rin concluded her report as she stared directly ahead at her leader.

Looking out his rather large window, Reo thought on the information presented to him. His mind going through various plans to how these children can benefit him and the school. After all, evil shinobi always were looking for talent. 'Where good accept few, evil accepts all.' He thought to himself.

"Continue your observations Rin. Report to me on any issues. Don't approach them with a proposition for at least another year. While it may seem late, these three don't have any ties to an education system. We can afford to have them come in later to make sure they are worth it. The information shows the doctors daughter is home schooled and the other two are raised by a gang leader... which is self-explanatory. It shouldn't be too hard to deal with their education and training as shinobi." While it may be a school of shinobi, education was equally as important. They weren't going to send unintelligent shinobi to fight and complete missions.

"Understood Reo-sama." The purple haired woman bowed, her large bust bouncing at the swift motion.

"Now before I dismiss you... How is my daughter doing?" He had a very slight smile on his face as he thought of his daughter, it was her second year at the school and Rin was tasked for some of her training routines.

"Excellent as always. She is a prodigy in all shinobi arts and curriculum." Rin responded in her icy tone, somehow not offending the man in charge.

"Good, this is good to hear. She will be the pride of this school after all. That's all Rin, you're dismissed." He turned away from her, not caring to see her second bow and prompt exit.

The pride of Hebijo rested on Miyabi, and he'd have it no other way.

* * *

Across town, in a rather extravagant home, Haruka sat in her darkened room. She looked from her overly large bed to the window, watching the moon and clouds in the night sky. She envied the moon sometimes.

It was out there, unbothered, hanging in the night sky and watching over everything under it's gaze. Nobody controlled the moon, nobody forced it to stay hidden away. The moon would always come out after the sun sets. The moon was _free _to do as it pleased.

Haruka's face was blank, her facial features betraying nothing as she stared at the moon. She can't even recall the last time she was able to look at the moon from outside her home. Once upon a time, her... mother let her outside, even if it was for those photo shoots. Now however, she was indoors every hour of the day, never interacting with anyone else. Mother said it's too dangerous to be outside, people outside lie, steal and kill. Mother didn't like liars, people like her father.

Haruka hates them. Both her mother and father. Mother said she loved her, loved her more than anything. Yet, she was dressed and forced to act like a doll every day. The only time she felt something other than disgust for her mother was around 2 years ago. 2 years, 9 months and 7 days to be exact. Haruka made sure to remember.

Father was a cheater, a liar and a manipulator. All things Haruka despised. All things Haruka was becoming. She spent her days with her mother who was too scared of her father. Her mother who would force her to study, dress up, take pictures and sleep. The same cycle.

A very small smile came to Haruka's face as she thought about that day 2 years ago. Her first friend. Naruto. The snake girl didn't matter, not after calling her a doll. She _hated_ that word, but she wasn't wrong. She wondered if he thought about her anymore. She said they'll play again, she lied. She couldn't leave anymore. She'd look from her window, seeing him standing there with his mother, waiting, only to be saddened by a closed door being his answer.

She dreamed of being pushed on the swings by Naruto again, laughing as he told her exaggerated stories of his mother. She'd even put up with the snake girl to play again. She realizes she's older now, a teenager, and playing is something for children. But did she ever get to be a child? No, she was a doll. A doll for her mother to use.

A vicious smile came to Haruka's face. She was a doll wasn't she... It was fine. In time she'll be the one playing with dolls. She'll be the one manipulating others. It was easy after all, she's been smiling those fake smiles for years. Smiling was easy. Just like those dolls with perpetual smiles.

Haruka laid down on her fluffy pillows, looking out of the window at the starry sky. She closed her eyes slowly, the smile melting away once more as she drifted to sleep. Her dreams that night would be filled with a blond boy's bright grin asking to play again sometime.

* * *

At the same time in Hinata's household, sleep was claiming the residents. Hinata was knocked out early from a combination of alcohol and having to meet with her gang tomorrow. Naruto, after eating his intense fill of ramen, was passed out in his bed shortly after.

Hikage was awake, in her shared bed with Naruto. She would usually be asleep by now, lulled by Naruto's heartbeat like a baby. This was different though, as she laid on top of him and frowned at his current predicament.

He was moving far too much in his sleep. Muttering and making such faces that Hikage thought he would awake at any moment. She knew Naruto was prone to odd dreams. He never brought it up, but sleeping with him for years, she knew of his habits. He mumbled names and places that made no sense. She's known him for years, the orphanage never held such strangely named people either.

It was honestly a bit shocking to Hikage just how many names or things he would say at night. Sometimes it'd be nonsensical sleep talk, she'd barely pay attention, but this was more akin to a nightmare. Her frown deepened at his face. He looked angry? Her recognizing emotions was new to her, she owed it all to Naruto and Hinata. She wasn't very good at it, but when it came to Naruto, she did her best.

"... Toneri." Naruto's rather harsh mumble drew her attention back to him as he whipped his head to the side.

Toneri? Another name she couldn't recognize. She was quite good at remembering the names. Some had positive connotations, other were hard to tell. This one was something similar to... hate? She never asked him about these names, she figured he never remembered. She didn't want to burden her Naruto with questions about dreams, but his reactions tonight made her feel something.

Hikage tightened her grip around him, stopping his thrashing. Her yellow eyes almost glowing in the dark room as she watched him. He still had a weird look on his face. She laid her head down on his bare chest, still holding on tightly to him. She began to close her eyes.

"Hikage..." His next mumble made her eyes snap open as her head raised suddenly. She searched his face for any sign that he was awake, but the now peaceful expression told her that he was still dreaming. Her eyes widened as he moved in his sleep, pushing her off his chest to the side, he threw an arm around her form while pushing himself against her. It was like he was cuddling her in his sleep.

Trapped by his arm over her, she looked out into the darkness of the room and tried to calm down her beating heart. Sometimes she... Disliked? Hated? Yes. Hated how she couldn't understand emotions. Her heart was beating faster than it would in a fight, it felt like her chest was going to explode. Strangely, it wasn't painful. As she tried to ponder her feelings, she remembered Hinata's words.

Love. Hinata told her Naruto loved her. Was that why she felt like this? Love? She tried to turn in his grip but found no success. She gave up shortly after and decided to try to sleep again. Her final thoughts for the night weren't about Naruto's strange dreams or names. Rather, they were about the word love.

'Ah... I love him?' She was too tired now to think on what that entitled or if that was the correct emotion she was feeling. But that's was okay. Love... Love was nice.

Hikage fell asleep next to Naruto that night, never noticing the strange tattoo like mark on his navel fade in and out during his dreaming.

* * *

**AN - **Chapter 4 complete you beautiful people. It wasn't a very long chapter, but I covered some new things in this chapter that will be very important for the future. While I kept the "fight scene" rather short, I felt it was appropriate to show how Hikage and Naruto are in combat before all the wacky ninja shit starts.

I just want to reiterate that while this isn't _technically_ an AU when it comes to the Senran Kagura aspects of the story, there's some things about that universe that I'll be changing to make it flow a bit better (hopefully at least lol). Senran Kagura has had an anime with a somewhat different plot, multiple games with different stories and side stories AND the wiki even splits the lore of the series by "timeline 1 and timeline 2" so I'll do my best to fit events accordingly.

While Hikage is seemingly not as emotionless as she should be, the catalyst is Naruto. In canon she only had Hinata, who was more like a role model, not a mother. She'll never be going around smiling and waving at strangers in the story, but she'll definitely express herself more. However, in combat, she quite literally goes wild, look at some gameplay of her move set or even voice lines to see how she acts. She's still best girl.

Oh, one last thing. Is it a harem story? Hm, good question. Ask Hikage about that one, I guess. But who knows?!


	5. Tumbling Down

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

Hikage was many things. Downright sadistic in a fight, prone to spacing out randomly and her general appearance certainly screamed unique compared to those in the general populace.

A shopper she was not. She wasn't used to such normal things, despite Hinata's best efforts to make her act like a teenage girl. The efforts were always abandoned in about five minutes. That's why she is currently standing in front of a window of a random store, staring at who knows what. The passerby gave the girl odd looks. To be fair, the stares weren't unfounded as she did look out of place with her piercing stare at the poor storefront.

... She spaced out again. This time it was for reason though. Naruto's birthday was only a day away, October 10th. While Naruto knew nothing about his birth or original parents, he always seemed sure of his birthday and even name, something most orphans are lucky to have. Hikage's birthday was directly a month and a day before his, September 9th, something that Hinata thought was cute for some reason.

That's why she was currently at the mall, she needed a gift and she needed it fast. Hikage understood that she shouldn't have waited this long to get a gift for him, but he always claimed that just her and Hinata being with him was a gift. Both Hikage and Naruto were never keen on celebrating their birthdays anyway, yet every year Hinata made them feel special.

This year was different for Hikage. She understood she is clueless towards most things, but she also knows they were getting older and she... loves him. A proper gift was in order. Having no clue about fashion, clothes were out of the equation and they didn't exactly sell weapons in the local mall.

Strolling by store after store, not even noticing the looks from other shoppers, Hikage gave a small frown at her predicament. She idly wondered what her mother would be getting Naruto, but nowadays Hinata was home less and less. Shaking her head slightly to get rid of any negative thoughts, Hikage continued on her self-appointed journey of buying a suitable birthday present for the boy she loved.

It'd be a few more hours for her to finally decide on what to buy. With a small bag clutched tightly in her hands, Hikage looked at the setting sun before deciding to make her way home. 'I wonder if Kaa-san will actually be home tonight...' were her wandering thoughts as she aimlessly walked.

Hikage was completely unaware of the ruby red eyes watching her from the shadows.

* * *

Naruto sat cross legged on his shared bed, a scowl set upon his features. For the past year or so he's been having issues that he can't explain. Every now and then he'd feel as if something was... _moving_ under his skin. It wasn't exactly the best way to describe it, but when he would spar with either his mother, Hikage or random gang members, he'd feel that sensation. The sensation wasn't painful in the least, it was just odd. Hell, he even felt more energized than usual with the weird burst of whatever it was.

There's also the issue with his dreams. He can't quite recall them vividly, but he knows that based off Hikage's words that they are akin to nightmares. He personally can't recall names or locations in the dreams, rather he can remember emotions that are tied to them. It's strange but at times he feels love, and for some reason even hate. Naruto can't remember the last time he simply dreamed about things like hanging out with Hikage or... his other friend.

Blowing out a sigh at his puzzling situation, Naruto fell back on the bed to stare at the ceiling. Hinata mentioned that meditating can help a person come to know who they are, which at this point he felt he needed. However, Hinata's words of "Screw that it's boring as hell!" made him give a small smile at the memory.

His mother was another cause of concern lately. She wasn't around nearly as much as she used to be when they were younger. That would normally be fine, Naruto and Hikage were quite independent from their time on the streets. They didn't need their mother at every waking minute, but both of them began to notice her condition that she tried to hide from them. She was drained every day, even more so than in the past. When they tell her to take a break, she says she can't. "There's too many important issues going on." became her most common excuse.

Her gang was important to her. She always said it came second to her kids, but Naruto knew she was attached to it. Before they came around, it was the only thing Hinata had to truly call her own, something she built up from nothing. She couldn't abandon those who were similar to her, nor did she want to. That didn't mean Naruto liked seeing his mother struggle and refuse help. Hinata had a stubborn streak that Naruto couldn't compete with, even on his best day.

The days of telling his mother he'd take over her gang were seemingly over as she began to push him and Hikage away from what she used to affectionately refer to as the "family business". There had to be a reason for her sudden change in attitude, and while he may not be able to assist her with the gang, he'd continue to be there to support her as a son should. Hinata was not the best role model a teenager can have, but he loves her. It's his mother after all.

Two somewhat quiet knocks on the bedroom door were enough to make Naruto sit up in the bed. Giving a puzzled answer of "come in" to the knocks, Naruto found it odd since nobody usually knocks in the household. His eyes took in the sight of his mother standing in the entrance of the bedroom. Her gang 'uniform' was just as bright as always.

That's where the brightness ended though. His mother's eyes look tired and dull, reminding him of Hikage. Hinata's sleek blonde hair seemingly lost its shine and she didn't even bother to keep it as tidy as usual. Watching her eyes scan over his room before settling on him, he waited for her speak.

"I already made dinner Naruto... I just need to take a shower and relax. You can eat either now or when Hikage gets home, but I'll have mine after I sleep for a bit." Her tone was not the charmingly boisterous one he associates with his mother which made him frown. Hinata picked up on his expression and gave a smile.

"Now now, I'm just tired is all Naruto-chan. I want to be well rested since it's my baby's birthday tomorrow after all." The grin on her face made Naruto feel a little better about the situation and he gave one of his own back. It lacked the usual cheeriness, but it did the job of making Hinata nod happily to herself.

Naruto felt a pit form in his stomach at her words and actions. He promised himself in that moment to try even harder to help Hinata, even if she didn't want it. She saved him and Hikage from the streets after all, he owed that much to her.

* * *

Leaving his room slowly, Hinata walked down the hall to her own room. Her feet dragging against the hardwood tiredly. The smile on her face was lost now, replaced by a blank look. Maybe a shower was what she needed to clear her thoughts but knowing her luck it would just make them worse.

Stepping into the bathroom and stripping out of her clothing, Hinata turned to the mirror over the sink. Her body was just as attractive as always, her curves making men lust after her while the women were jealous. She looked into the reflection at her face and gave a grimace. The bags under her eyes and messy hair made her feel annoyed with herself. She turned away from the mirror to start up the shower.

Letting the hot water cascade over her form, Hinata couldn't help getting caught up in her problems. Her precious gang was seemingly falling apart at the seams. One of her members turning up dead was something she was used to, people tended to get themselves into trouble. However, the six that followed caused her to think it was an attack on her gang. She didn't even know how anyone could have found her hideout, it was in a abandoned part of town, sitting close to torn down homes and factories. She's never seen anyone close by to warrant any suspicion.

For months she would watch over the surrounding area, trying to notice anything suspicious. Her search always ended in failure and more of her own being killed. Hinata is confident that if it was another gang targeting her's, she could handle them personally. She'd have no fear if it weren't for the fact that she has Hikage and Naruto. They were both strong, undeniably so, but she couldn't help but worry.

Giving a rueful smile at her worries, she scrubbed her hair with shampoo. Naruto always did call her an old lady, and he was right at the moment. She was stuck in her thoughts and fears like some jaded hag. She'd never admit it to him, he would give that cheeky smile and act like a smart ass, though she loves him all the same. He was about to be fifteen years old, it made her head spin sometimes how fast time flies by. All the years of watching him and Hikage grow made her feel older than she truly was.

Placing her head against the shower wall, she closed her eyes and reminisced on all the things that made her life worth it. 'Hikage... Naruto...' In the beginning, she never saw herself becoming as attached to them as she was now. Yes, she couldn't leave them alone to die on the streets like she was as a child, although she never planned on putting them first in her life. She was selfish and proud of what she had with her organization, it wasn't extremely large or prestigious, but it was her's. Hinata tightened her hands into fists as she let out a long sigh.

"It will all blow over eventually... I have a sons birthday to celebrate tomorrow..." She mumbled to herself as she finally focused on her shower. Ten minutes later she was clean and exhausted. Drying herself off quickly and throwing on something to wear, her head hit the pillows on her bed as she looked at the setting sun outside. For once her short sleep wouldn't be plagued with fears and negativity, rather she would dream about two odd children staring at her with wide eyes from an alleyway. If anyone were to see her, the peaceful smile on her face painted the perfect picture of tranquility.

* * *

Opening her eyes suddenly, Hinata was greeted to the sight of the moon sitting high in the sky. A quick check of her alarm clock confirmed the time to be just a few minutes before midnight. Rubbing her face with her hands, she rose out of bed, uncaring of her somewhat inappropriate state of dress. She was comfortable in her home, nobody could judge her for that.

Walking down the stairs to the living room quietly, Hinata heard the faint sound of a television playing some random program. She peaked her head in the entrance only to be met with a stare from yellow eyes.

"Hikage-chan? You're still up..."Hinata trailed off as she looked at Naruto, sound asleep which his head placed in Hikage's lap. The girl was absentmindedly stroking his messy hair with her fingers as she looked to her mother.

"Yeah, after we ate a couple hours ago, we watched tv. Then Naru fell asleep. I didn't even know you were home Kaa-san." A thin green eyebrow rose as she looked to her mother who was dressed in a simple pair of black panties and white sleep shirt.

"Oh. I needed some rest after how busy I was this morning..." She lamely gave her excuse to Hikage who didn't look impressed. That was her normal facial expression but Hinata knew her real feelings.

"Are you okay? You've been making us both... nervous... recently. Naru worries every day." Hinata was always happy at Hikage being able to identify emotions, even if they were negative.

"I'm alright honey. There's a lot happening with my gang you know. I'm the leader so it all falls onto my shoulders. All those people depend on me." She replied to her daughters question as she moved to the couch where they were seated. Plopping down onto the cushion near where Naruto's legs were stretched out, Hinata watched her daughters actions.

"... I don't believe you Kaa-san." Her dull voice made Hinata flinch, before she waved her hand dismissively.

"Really don't worry, you know me. Ain't nothing going to happen to me, not as long as I got my babies at home and knife ready." Hinata gave the same grin that she knew Hikage typically had when fighting. The upwards pull of Hikage's lips at her words made Hinata smile genuinely.

"Alright Kaa-san. Let Naru and I help you though." Despite her monotone voice, the seriousness of Hikage's words were easily understood.

"Of course, but... not right now." It hurt to lie to her daughter. She felt it was necessary. She doesn't want them to help, it was time to act like a mother and make better decisions for her kids. Seeing Hikage's nod and eyes shift back to the other occupant of the couch, Hinata smiled.

"Did you tell him yet?" Hearing her mother's question, Hikage was confused.

"Tell him what?" She looked back up, still running her fingers thought Naruto's hair.

"Don't be a dumbass. Tell him that you love him. You already know how he feels 'Hebi-chan.'" Hinata teased her. Her words made the normally stoic girl's face flush.

"Ah... I will. He's been... going through some stuff." Hikage's response made Hinata furrow her brow in confusion.

"What do you mean Hikage-chan? He's okay right?" Hinata knew she wasn't home as much, but she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary with Naruto. Hikage nodded her head slowly.

"He's fine, I think. He spaces out like I do recently which isn't really normal. When he sleeps he mumbles and has nightmares... I have a whole list of names written down." Hikage frowned down at Naruto's peaceful expression. Her words made Hinata scratch her head in confusion.

"Do we know them? The names I mean." That question was met with another head shake from Hikage.

"No. The only one that is... similar to something we know is..." Hikage seemed to be in thought, making Hinata raise her eyebrows at her daughter spacing out mid-sentence. She coughed lightly to get her attention back.

"Who Hikage-chan?"

"Sometimes... he says Hinata."

"Huh? Me?" She blinked her eyes, peering down at her son.

"Yeah. Maybe he's thinking about you since it's nightmares most of the time. Maybe you help him." Hikage hid her jealousy pretty well, but not well enough for Hinata.

"Aww! Hikage you know he loves you more than anything! Naruto-chan's always been a momma's boy though." She gave a bright grin at the thought. "I love you both equally, but you don't show your Kaa-chan enough love Hikage." She feigned a sad expression.

"I... love you Kaa-san." Hikage whispered out lowly. Succeeding in making Hinata jump off the couch quickly and get into her face. Her mother's toothy grin was bright in the dark room, making the bright light from the television seem dull in comparison. Hinata bent down and kissed Hikage on the forehead quickly, noticing the tiny blush that remained on the girls pale skin.

"Love you too cutie. I'll be back though, I'm starving." She rubbed her toned stomach, watching as Naruto turned his face directly into Hikage's lap, shoving himself closer to her in his sleep. She gave a giggle at Hikage's frozen expression. Then she suddenly had an idea.

"Hey hey, why don't we all sleep together again tonight? Just like when you were kids?" It was strange to ask two teenagers to do this, but Hinata loves them so much and she needed them around after all the problems she's been having.

Hikage broke out of her frozen state from Naruto placing his face close to her lower regions. She gave a small frown at Hinata's request. "Last time we all slept in the same bed you almost suffocated Naru." Her tone was equally as deadpan as it was disapproving.

Hinata scoffed at her words before replying. "That's funny coming from a girl whose chest is almost the same size. Also, judging by how close Naruto is to your crotch, you seem to be enjoying it. Maybe you'll suffocate him next." She closed her mouth with a taunting grin at Hikage's venomous glare.

"Pervert."

"The pot calling the kettle black I see." Hinata mentally congratulated herself for using a idiom. "You're just as bad as I am, if not worse. The girl who smells her little boyfriend constantly is calling me a pervert? There's also the time when I walked in your room when you were about to-" She was cut off by Hikage's rather harsh whisper.

"Go... Go eat Kaa-san. We can all sleep together. Fine. You win." The girl leveled her stare at Hinata. It would have been intimidating if that red flush left her cheeks.

"Kaa-chan always wins Hikage-chan. Believe it." Hinata's smile was so Naruto-like that Hikage had to wonder if they were truly related.

Through their whole conversation Naruto remained asleep, breathing softly and calmly into Hikage's lap. Not that she minded at all.

* * *

Being a shinobi was her calling. Despite problems that arose in the past with... certain individuals and schools, Rin was proud of her skills and intelligence. Never did she doubt the path she's taken, but that changed when she realized what her new role was. Espionage would have been easy, too easy. Stuck training one of her benefactors targets of interest in the art of puppetry to expose a father of his infidelity... well it's a pain in her ass.

Forced to reveal herself to Haruka within the past year was not her original intention. That all changed when the girl meant to burn her house down, with her inside of it. Rin is cold, indifferent and judgmental, but she wasn't going to let the girl die. Especially since one of Hebijo's biggest supporters found an interest in her. Haruka is the most troublesome teenager Rin has had the displeasure of meeting.

"And when am I allowed into this 'prestigious school' of yours?" Haruka's sarcasm was easily bleeding through her question. Rin felt her eye twitch at Haruka's tone. While she may have only taught the girl the basics of being a shinobi along with puppetry skills that she was a natural at, Haruka was itching to do more. The blonde teenager is seemingly a genius when it comes to curriculum of any kind. Rivaling the principals daughter, Miyabi, quite easily.

"I told you, you will be joining with two other prospects. You will more than likely be placed in the same basic classes before progressing through the ranks." Rin's tone was as cold as usual. "Do mind your tone Haruka, I won't tolerate disrespect." The ruby red eyes were chilling to Haruka, who nodded her head once.

"When though Suzune-sensei? I've already shown off my puppeteer skills using my _father." _She spit that word out with as much toxicity as the potions she tended to create.

"Soon. I plan on giving a proposition to the other two." Rin eyed Haruka. It was hard to tell what this girl was truly feeling, she was extremely good at manipulating others that it made even Rin cautious. She didn't even give out her real name to Haruka, instead using her alias Suzune.

"You mentioned one is a boy, right? Yet... you said Hebijo is an all-girls academy?" With a questioning look Haruka turned to her teacher of four months.

"It is. There are shinobi schools that allow both genders, but Hebijo is specifically an all-girls shinobi academy. As to why a boy is allowed, that is not our decision." It was true. Rin didn't have a say in this, not that she cared either way. Haruka merely hummed at her answer.

"I hope they both aren't as easy to break as my wonderful parents were, right Suzune-sensei?" The girls cute smile didn't deflect the worrying nature of her words. She remained silent at Haruka's question. Rin knew Haruka did not have the best upbringing despite the wealth. The only time she acted like a normal teenage girl was when she talked fondly of the boy she knew from years back. Only hanging out for a day left a impact on the lonely girl, and she still held hope of seeing him one day. Rin knew that day would be coming up pretty soon.

Knocks on Haruka's bedroom door alerted both of the occupants to look up from their rather dull conversation. Entering the room was a woman with a emotionless expression, dressed in an expensive dress and having her makeup done professionally. She was quite literally a doll.

"Haruka-sama, before I retire for the night, is there anything you need?" The woman looked at nothing in particular, merely holding her glazed look.

"Oh no, it's quite alright my doll. You're free to go to sleep." Haruka lazily pointed at the woman with a smirk on her face. Rin merely watched with indifference on the outside. On the inside she would never get used to this.

The woman nodded once before quietly leaving the room, she roamed the large halls of the house before entering what was presumably a bedroom.

"... I allowed you to use the scroll on puppetry to expose your father for his malpractice and infidelity. It's childish to continuing using this technique on your mother daily." Rin's said disapprovingly to Haruka.

"Don't worry Suzune-sensei. It's like you said, soon enough I'll be gone from here. I won't have to deal with my dear doll ever again. It's about time I got some new ones to play with anyway." Haruka's words would have made any other person feel worried for her mental state. Rin was a shinobi though, she's seen a lot. She looked away from the troubled girl and headed to the window.

"Rest. I have other business to take care of." With those poor parting words, Rin took off into the night. Haruka watched her go with raised eyebrows before shrugging it off. It wasn't her problem, so why bother caring.

Stripping down to nothing and getting under her blankets, Haruka watched one of her favorite things in the world, the moon. It was almost time for her to be fully free. Of course, she'll be tied down to a school and service, but it was worth it. Anything beat out her personal hell.

"The first thing I'm going to do when it's time to go is find you again Naruto-kun. I'll push you on the swing this time." Haruka mumbled to herself before closing her eyes. As she began to fall asleep, she reflected on her recent actions towards her mother. They were wrong, she knew it, her new teacher even knew it. She didn't feel bad though, she felt justified. Suzune-sensei did say where good accepts few, evil accepts all.

'Would you accept me Naruto-kun...?' The one person who she never had a single negative thought about, no matter how brief their meeting. She only hoped he was the same bright boy that she remembered. She missed having a friend.

* * *

Sandwiched between two pairs of breasts was not the way Naruto intended to wake up. One pair would have been fairly normal, but his real embarrassment came the fact that Hinata was pressed against his other side. Also, this wasn't his bed. What the hell happened last night?

Struggling to free his body from a certain snakes grip, he looked at the two that were occupying the bed. Hikage was sleeping quietly as she typically did, while Hinata on the other hand was snoring lightly with her mouth open. He would have deadpanned at her state if it weren't for him noticing the attire that she chose to sleep in. He quickly became embarrassed. Hinata may be his adopted mother, though that didn't mean he couldn't be embarrassed by her looks and manner of dressing.

Watching them sleep for a couple minutes, Naruto tilted his head in confusion. Now that he thought about it... she never did officially adopt them. It was more like she stole them off the street. Was it really stealing though if they didn't belong to anyone? Or was it stealing because they were supposed to be in a orphanage? Is Hinata a kidnapper?

"... That look on your face says you're thinking. It's too early to think." His amusing internal questioning got cut off by the flat voice that soon pulled him directly into her chest.

"Mmhmhm." His face was comically pressed into her bust as Naruto's words were conveniently muffled. Her thin tank top and lack of a bra was secretly making him love his position. He's a healthy teenage boy, sue him.

Placing his now free arms at both sides of Hikage, he pushed himself up and out of her hold. His face hovered above her own, making Hikage blink her unique eyes at him.

"Why are we in Kaa-chan's bed?" Naruto did his best to ignore the way Hikage's long tongue darted out of her mouth to lick her lips before answering.

"She wanted us to sleep here. You were very heavy to lift by the way... you owe me for not waking you up." Her stare was pointed directly at him, and she idly noticed the way he was now straddling her.

"You can just ask for a kiss Hebi-chan. You don't have to always be owed one ya know."

"Ah... but... we aren't kids anymore Naru. If we kiss like that... remember what Kaa-san said?" Naruto noticed the slight widening of her eyes, the small lip quiver and very, _very_ slight flush of red on her face. He was the best at reading her, she was getting flustered. He was glad though, it was payback for every time she made him like that.

"For god's sake, kiss already you brats! Also, have you ever heard of whispering? I'm trying to sleep here." Both teens turned to the right, noticing their mother sitting up now. Naruto quickly got off Hikage and got into his mother's face.

"Hey! It isn't my fault you dragged us in here last night. Don't tell us about whispering you-" Hinata cut him off by pulling him into a hug.

"Shut up. Happy birthday my baby." Hinata pulled back from her sudden hug to smile at her son.

"Thanks, Kaa-chan. Love you." Whatever insult he was going to spew at his mother was forgotten. Seeing her smile with he gave his own back before hearing somewhat silent curses from behind him. They were coming from Hikage. The mother and son duo both rose an eyebrow at her.

"... I wanted to tell him that first." The disappointment was clear in her voice.

"You snooze you lose Hikage-chan. In this case it was more like you're too horny you lose. Don't make out in my bed because if you do..." Naruto put his hand over his mother's mouth, having had enough of her teasing. He looked to Hikage who sat up on the bed.

She pulled Naruto away from their mother quickly and interlocked their fingers together. "Happy birthday Naru." She looked down slowly, genuinely upset at herself for not saying it to him first.

A sensation of something on her face made her look up suddenly. Naruto kissed her on the cheek like he usually does. "Hebi-chan, love you."

"I... love you too Naruto." She buried her head into his chest. Again, her tone wouldn't have seemed different to an outsider, but Naruto was easily able to tell how hard it was for her to get that out. His grin was easily outshining the sunlight peering in through the curtains.

His mother tapped him on the shoulder, mouthing words at him so Hikage couldn't hear.

'Do what with her? What does she mean?' He thought puzzled at his mother's silent words. His confused look made her sweat drop. Hinata began mouthing the word "Kiss" over and over again.

He mouthed back a silent "I just did." Making his mother narrow her eyes and point to her lips repeatedly. Yes, he used his lips? What the hell was her problem?

"Kiss on the lips!" Hinata screamed out, fed up with his confusion. "Fucking clueless." She muttered quietly. Hikage was startled by the scream and moved her head away from Naruto's chest only to see him putting on his tomato persona. The snake eyed girl was blinking repeatedly, processing her mother's words. Naruto thought she was confused, and the subject would drop. The only thing that dropped was him to the floor as Hikage literally fell on top of him, sending them both tumbling down. She landed on top of him perfectly, and as if fate was on her side, her lips fell onto his.

Hinata watched from upon the bed. Yes, while it was weird to watch she just didn't care. It was a good first kiss she supposed. Obviously, they both looked like they were confused at what to do, especially Hikage, but they would learn together. Shrugging to herself, she got up to do her morning stretches.

Naruto was wide eyed as he felt Hikage's lips on his. They were both kind of frozen in place, though that didn't distract from the feeling of how soft her lips were. He could have sworn he felt her long tongue at some point too. Hikage on the other hand, well she just added something to her list of likes. She would now be relentless in pursuing those likes even more.

"Alright! I'm going to make a nice breakfast for the birthday boy! Naruto! Hikage! Don't do anything inappropriate on my bedroom floor, that's why you have your own room!" Hinata ducked out of the room in time to avoid a deadly accurate pillow.

"Being a mother is so much fun." Her troubles of the gang forgotten as she enjoyed her home life.

* * *

Naruto's birthday was a relatively calm affair this year. On birthday's Hinata made sure to plan out different activities to let her kids experience thing she never did. For Hikage's a month ago they went out to an expensive restaurant, wearing their best clothing that admittedly made all three uncomfortable. Despite Hinata's appearance she didn't blend in well with the high class for obvious reasons. However, Naruto didn't want to even go out this year, stopping his mother in her tracks. He wanted to just relax at home with his two most precious people. Hinata let a smile creep onto her face as they all laid in the living room preparing to watch a movie.

Naruto and Hikage were on the floor, with the emotionally confused girl laying on top of him. They were quietly discussing which movie to watch, Hinata wasn't paying much attention to their talk, rather she focused on the comfortable atmosphere. At least until she heard the word "shinobi" uttered in the movie suggestion.

"Dammit..." She swore, it was always about shinobi with these two. Naruto more so than Hikage, although she probably enjoyed them just as much. Hearing the two begin to start up the movie, Hinata resigned to her fate and watched along with them. She fell asleep about fifteen minutes into the film.

"Kaa-san... Kaa-san..." Feeling a poke into her leg and the monotone voice repeating her favorite word, Hinata knew she passed out during the movie. Opening her bleary eyes, she looked to Naruto and Hikage, who were both still comfortable on the floor.

"You both know shinobi don't interest me. Sorry for falling asleep though Naruto-chan." Her son gave a easy going shrug, dismissing her apology. "Why don't we give you our presents now though? I assume Hikage-chan got you something nice." She gave the girl her usual smile.

"Kaa-chan you know I don't care about gifts." Hinata shook her head at his words. Sometimes he was too selfless.

"Don't care, you're getting them. Don't complain Naru." His mother responded, stealing Hikage's nickname for him. Judging by the slight glare, she didn't enjoy that.

In an instant Hinata jumped off the couch and grabbed her daughter, pulling her along to grab the gifts they both got for Naruto. The whiskered teen blinked owlishly at how fast his mother moved, her skill still managed to surprise him.

Three minutes later they returned to see Naruto waiting patiently. Hinata being eager decided to go first. She revealed a long box, wrapped rather nicely. Naruto eyed it with suspicion.

"You didn't wrap this yourself..." Hinata's eyes twitched at his statement before she held the box out to him. He gave a goofy grin before accepting the gift. Opening the box, he was greeted to the sight of two long red and black trench knives. They were special due to the way they would be wielded. Both knives could essentially be attached to his hand like a pair of brass knuckles. Naruto eyed the craftsmanship of the blades, they were perfectly made, and very deadly. He looked up to see his mother's savage grin at her gift choice.

"Of course, you'd give me something to potentially kill people with on my birthday." He gave a laugh as she turned away from him, annoyed. He placed down the knives before approaching her and giving her a big hug.

"I'm kidding Kaa-chan, I love them. Thank you." He was being genuine. They weren't a normal gift, but then again, Hinata wasn't normal.

"No problem sweetie. Don't ask where they are from." Naruto sweat dropped at her words. "Anyway! Hikage-chan's next!" With that his mother broke the hug and grabbed Hikage by her shoulders, placing her in front of Naruto. The green haired teen stared directly in Naruto's eyes now.

"I hope you like it. I'm not very good at this." Hikage felt something here. Anxiousness? Nervousness? She wasn't sure which. Especially after seeing Hinata's gift that would probably outshine hers. She presented Naruto with a small black box, also seemingly wrapped perfectly.

Giving her his best smile, he gently took the box from her, opening it up he stared at the object inside. It was a sturdy silver chain attached to a locket. The locket was shaped like a heart, yet that wasn't what made it unique. The design of a snake biting its own tail over the heart made him give a small laugh. She was his Hebi-chan after all.

"I love it Hikage-chan." He looked from the gift into her yellow eyes, she appeared to be at a loss for words. She opened her mouth slowly to address him again.

"Open it up..." He didn't even think to do that. Using his right hand, he pushed near the snakes tail and it popped open. Inside was a picture, one that he widened his own eyes at. It featured both Hikage and Naruto sleeping against a tree, clothes torn and messy, but they held each other close. They were about twelve in the picture, Hinata most definitely took it. She had a whole album of pictures, her "mom album", but that was a story for another time.

"Heh... I really love this Hikage." Naruto muttered as he admired the locket and picture. The girl let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, before actually giving him a smile. Even though Naruto always made her feel happy, she didn't smile all too often. She couldn't help it this time, him liking her gift made her feel really good. Naruto noticed her smile and got closer to her face.

"HOW ADORABLE!" The professional mood killer presented herself again. "I'll go get Naruto-chan's birthday cake ready while you two eat each other's faces." The second time today she had to avoid a pillow being thrown she way, from Naruto yet again. Hinata disappeared around the corner with an evil laugh.

"Eat each other's faces?" Hikage looked very confused by her mother's choice of words. Naruto scratched at his whispered cheek before responding to her confusion.

"Uh, yeah she means like kissing ya know..."

"Ah."

"Yeah."

Naruto had roughly four seconds to process the green haired missile slamming into him, planting her lips onto his own.

* * *

The cake was delicious, however what came after left a sour taste in Hinata's mouth. Her kids were half passed out in the living room again, having eaten a lot of junk food and such throughout the day, they were lazing about now.

She had to excuse herself to her room to answer a call, apparently about an hour or so ago another damn body was delivered right in front of her hideout. She grit her teeth in frustration. Even on the day where she put all that nonsense out of her mind.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck." Hinata swore under her breath, nails digging into her palms tightly.

She didn't want to leave tonight, especially since it's Naruto's birthday. The opportunity presented itself and she had to take the chance on finding out who was behind this. Those two teenagers would always come first. 'But...' biting her lip she knew this was her responsibility. She had to do this. Now came the hard part, leaving the house. Should she sneak out? No. That was wrong. They were her children, they'd be worried, especially tonight.

Wanting to pull her hair out, she put on a fake smile and approached the living room. Her special knife was hidden within her track suits sleeve for the time being. Honestly, she felt sick to her stomach right now.

"Naruto... Hikage..." Hikage raised her head off Naruto's chest, eyeing her mother's now dressed form with suspicion.

"What's the matter Kaa-chan? Don't tell me you're planning on going out for your gang right now?" Naruto's voice was scolding, his drowsiness forgotten. Hinata recoiled at his tone, she was the parent here but now she felt like it was the opposite. His mother closed her eyes and sighed lowly.

"Listen. I need to go check on something. I'm sorry Naruto that I have to leave tonight. It should only take an hour or so. Believe me, after this I'll let you both help me out with this whole mess. This is my responsibility. Don't try to argue." Hinata growled out her last sentence. She was serious, Naruto glared deeply at her and Hikage was alert now.

"We aren't stupid, something has been going on Kaa-chan. If it's dangerous, don't go. Please." Dropping his glare, Naruto looked defeated at his mother, she was too stubborn for her own good. Hikage watched the interaction silently, even though her chest began to tighten.

"Naruto. I have to do this. I won't say it again, this is MY gang. I have to figure this out. Once it's over, everything will be better okay?" Hinata didn't sound convincing, and Naruto looked like he ate something sour. He removed Hikage from their mess of limbs and got up. In the back of her mind, Hinata noticed how much taller he was getting, they were eye to eye.

"No. I don't like it Kaa-chan, you could end up hurt or worse. Let us come with you." Blue eyes bore into bright green, neither backing down.

"Absolutely not." She was not going to allow that, if they got hurt, she'd never forgive herself.

"We are strong Kaa-chan. Hikage and I are better fighters than anyone in your gang!" Naruto was starting to get angry now, her stubbornness clashing with his own.

Seeing that this was about to dissolve into a shouting match, Hikage chose to speak up.

"Hinata." Her mother blinked at Hikage as she used her actual name, something she hasn't done in years now.

"If you're not back within an hour, we are going to look for you." Hikage's tone was dry, but her words rang in Hinata's ears.

"Hikage! You're going to let her go?" Naruto looked at her like she grew a second head, Hikage only nodded once.

"It's her gang Naru. This is her decision." He was about to yell again before Hikage's next words stopped him. "Besides... with her knife and us at home, she'll be alright." Hikage repeated the same words her mother said to her the night before. Hinata smirked at her daughters words.

Walking up to Naruto slowly, Hinata pushed him. Due to the unexpected action, he stumbled back onto the couch, looking wide eyed at his mother. Her smirk was the same as the day they first met. That arrogant and taunting twitch of her lips was what made Naruto finally give in.

"I hate this Kaa-chan. One hour, one hour okay? If you're not back, we are coming to get you." His mother still didn't talk, she just kept that facial expression up. She leaned down to kiss him quickly on the forehead and moved to Hikage to do the same. Both teens watched her every move. She moved to the entrance of the living room, her back turned to them now.

"I could always count on you huh? My cute little thieves..." If Hinata was turned around, they'd be able to see the tears stinging at her eyes. These brats. She loved them. So much. She left the room, the sudden movement of her arm revealed that wicked knife, she was prepared.

The only sound that rang throughout the house was the front door slamming shut as Hinata walked out in the dark night.

Hikage pulled Naruto down to the floor, straddling him. "Kaa-chan always wins. Believe it." The words were so foreign sounding from Hikage, yet they made Naruto have hope. The only thing stopping him from chasing her right now was how confident she was in her ability to handle it. He'd believe in her.

His belief still didn't stop the vicious pull on his heart that hammered like a drum in his chest.

* * *

Running through the streets at her speed would make getting to her hideout a short trip. She could hear her heart beating in her ears and her mouth felt dry. Hinata's cocky smirk was now replaced by stern determination. She'd find out who was behind everything tonight and put a stop to all the bullshit.

She stopped for a moment, breathing in slowly and flung her hand out towards a random alleyway. The sound of a nearby trash can being impacted from her throwing knife confirmed she hit something. Observing with keen eyes, she watched a small black bird fly off, scared from her actions. Narrowing her eyes, she lowered her arm and moved on.

Street, alleyway and storefronts passed her by, but she didn't stop moving. Arriving in an abandoned area of the red light district would be off limits to anyone, but she knew this area like the back of her hand. She stalked around seamlessly, having been down it a thousand times, but she kept her sights on the pitch darkness of the night.

'Where is she? That girl was supposed to meet me nearby to show me the body.' Hinata thought back to the call, a newer member of her gang informed her of what happened tonight. The girl was named Ryuka, a cute 17 year old who was dealt a bad hand at life. Of course, Hinata would take her in. The mother of two reached for her pocket but held back a curse at the fact that she left her phone back home.

The perimeter of her hideout seemed fine, the actual building locked up as it should be. She continued to walk around, hoping to see something.

*Crunch* Furrowing her brow, Hinata looked down at the object that made the noise. It was a cellphone. Laying towards the edge of the street, next to a darkened alley. Her breathing began to get heavier at her thoughts. 'Don't jump to conclusions Hinata. You got this.'

Withdrawing her knife in a grip that felt natural to her, she moved slowly to the alleyway. Hinata's footsteps felt heavier than usual, and for a moment she felt a chill go through her body. The alleyway seemed normal enough, until she smelled it. Blood. A lot of it.

Her heart was beating faster now, she wasn't sure if it was her nerves or just the feeling in the air. Walking to the back of the alleyway, two large old dumpsters sat. That's when Hinata noticed it.

"No. No no no. Fuck." She gripped her blade even tighter, and she felt tears come to her eyes. The 17 year old girl, only 2 years older than her own kids laid dead. She's seen plenty of death before, but the age and condition is what got to Hinata. Body stabbed and beaten like she was some toy. The only reason she recognized her was the torn up clothing, signifying her as one of Hinata's own.

The poor thing was pushed up against a dirty dumpster, gone from the world and nobody would care. Nobody cared in the first place. That's why she was in a fucking gang of degenerates. Hinata's hands shook with rage while her face was set somewhere between sadness and anger.

A noise drew Hinata's attention immediately and she spun around with shocking dexterity. A long knife impaled into the dumpster next to her. It missed her by a large margin. She focused on the entrance of the alleyway, the half broken streetlight casting down on two people. Boys, probably teenagers if she had to assume from their builds. One tall and lanky, the other short and fat. She'd find it comical if she wasn't about to kill them. Age didn't matter at the moment, they would die.

"You missed Takeshi. I knew I should have thrown it!"

"Sorry Michio..."

Hinata gripped her knife, snarling at the two. The thin one suddenly had a flashlight pointed at her. The blinding light did little to affect her, but it was an annoyance, nonetheless. She only needed to get close, and these two were fucked.

"Damn. She's pretty hot though, look at her body Takeshi! That other girl only lasted a few minutes, this one looks like she could go all night..." His partner in crime nodded his fat head in disgusting agreement. Hinata decided to speak up in that moment, wanting to impart some knowledge on the boys before slowly killing them.

"You are fucking idiots. You don't know who I am do you? This is my gang, my people, and you did this?!" Hinata was livid. Especially after hearing what they did to the poor girl.

"Oh shit! Michio this is her! The one bossman talked about!" They were both wide eyed.

"I'd ask about this "boss" of yours, but you know what? I don't fucking care right now. You both die." With that she moved, covering the long alleyway in a mere second. She was about to reach their putrid faces with her blade when a punch to her gut sent her flying back.

"Boss!" Both teenagers exclaimed loudly. Looking to the older man now in between them. He was all muscle, his blood red shirt and brown pants straining against his form. Spiked black hair sat atop his head. The man looked at his two subordinates with disgust in his black eyes before scoffing and returning his gaze to the somewhat stunned Hinata.

'Wh-what the fuck was that? It felt like Naruto's punches?! And how did he get here that fast?!' Hinata sucked in air at the vicious gut punch she endured. She got up onto her shaky legs and readjusted her grip on her knife. The mountain of a man stood glaring down at her.

"Hinata of Daybreak right?" It was phrased as a question, but he definitely knew, and his deep baritone voice sent a chill down her spine.

"What's it to you motherfucker?" Hinata spit an insult even as her danger senses were going haywire.

"I merely wanted a confirmation before you die." The man unsheathed a knife of own, the silver of it was gleaming in the moonlight.

Planting her feet firmly for a fight. Hinata gave a savage grin. "Oh yeah? And who are you big guy? I like knowing the names of people I kill too you know."

The man's face didn't change. He did give a response though.

"Hotaru. Rogue Shinobi."

Those three words.

Hinata's blood ran cold.

* * *

**AN - **Oh boy a cliffhanger. There's a reason for it though. I'll talk about that after I explain some things. First order of business, I need to thank everyone for the reviews, it means a lot to know people read this shit. Especially since I noticed some people who favorite or reviewed are authors who I've read stories from before I made an account, so that was really cool. I seriously need to get around to answering all reviews individually or something, but I want to just address a few.

I know I use time skips a bunch, but if I didn't (believe me) I would never get to anything canon. Once canon comes around, time skips will be extremely lessened. I enjoy writing the family dynamic and wish I could do it more, but I want to progress with the story. And I know a lot of the Naruto only readers don't know much of the titty ninja lore, but I haven't even touched canon yet besides some key points, so look forward to learning more about this messy Senran storyline in the future. Also, I did have to make up OC's here and there since besides a handful of male characters, only females are represented in Senran Kagura.

The other thing is Naruto being from his original world. I can see why some would be disappointed because of the potential for a new move set. However, have some faith, Naruto isn't going to fight the exact same way. I already said like twice now that I won't have him come in with Kurama and curb stomp every threat. The girls in Senran Kagura need to grow as characters after all. So yeah, while he is the same Naruto everyone knows, ill do my damn best to avoid making him fight the same way everytime. That's not a insult to canon Naruto, love that man, but I will be adding different things. He's going to be trained as a shinobi in this world after all.

But yeah, that's it for now. Gotta say one more time that I appreciate everyone reading and reviewing, and even my boy Kogane1098 for the PM's.


	6. Crimson Rage

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

"We are going. Now." A voice spoke, making Hikage freeze in place. She was on her way to change into some sleeping clothes as Naruto stood in the doorway. He looked pissed. A look that Hikage has only seen a few times in her life. Honestly, she could count the times he's been genuinely angry on one hand.

"You don't believe in Kaa-san?" Hikage tilted her head inquisitively. Naruto always tended to worry about things, and while she understood it, she hoped he was wrong. Besides, if it was a life or death situation surely Hinata would have told them.

"Hikage." Naruto's voice was cold, but Hikage knew him well enough to know that he was getting very nervous. "She's been hiding something for a while. I know I said one hour, but we don't even know exactly where she is. We have to go right now." He loved Hinata, though her stubbornness was making him reach his boiling point.

Hikage eyed him for a second, while she did love Hinata just as much as he did, she believed her mother could handle it. However, she wasn't going to deny Naruto, she could never do that. She gave a nod, prompting the same response from him. He moved from the doorway of the living room to grab the long covered box on the table. They held the trench knives he just received a few hours ago.

Giving the blades one last look, he clenched his hands around both, wearing them how someone would with brass knuckles. He moved his eyes to Hikage, noticing that she already equipped her own collection of knives. Throwing on his mother's gang jacket, the bright red and black outfit made him remember the first time she outfitted them both with her "family legacy." He shook his head, now wasn't the time, she could need them.

Allowing Hikage to lead the way, they locked up their home and headed out into the dark streets, a sense of foreboding took hold over Naruto. Looking ahead at Hikage's back he wondered what she was feeling right now, was she really confident in Hinata? Or was she simply telling herself that to avoid worrying?

'It doesn't matter... we are coming Kaa-chan, I promise I'll kick your ass next time you make me worry like this.' Gritting his teeth, they continued on their pathway towards Hinata's hideout.

* * *

Blades clashed against each other ferociously in the dark. The fight moving from the alleyway to the abandoned street. The silver blade was bathed in blood while held in the grip of a man who looked relaxed and confident. The other blade, the wicked knife looked as good as new. The woman holding it had various scratches and gashes along her body. She wouldn't die from these, but that didn't negate the pain.

"You know." The man started. "I acknowledge the fact that you won't go down without a fight. It would respectable, if you were half as skilled as I am." The fact that his tone didn't change with the arrogant statement made Hinata grind her teeth in rage.

Looking down at her wounds, Hinata couldn't help but lament on her situation. Her breath was becoming labored, her stance was off and her motivation to fight was getting lower. Hotaru, this rogue shinobi was shutting down every attempt she made to cut him down. He wouldn't even let her through to kill those two teenagers that cowered behind him. Every time she'd throw herself at him with speed that put many to shame, the man would appear in front of her and counter.

She was outclassed here. It was obvious. She wasn't a shinobi. For all her years of struggling to survive and fighting for her own cause, she was being cut down here. Feeling tears sting at her eyes, she blinked them away quickly. No... it was too soon to give up. She had things to fight for. Hinata raised her knife again, locking eyes onto the mountain of a man. He merely tilted his head.

"Since you continue to put up a futile resistance, I think I'll show you something to snuff out your hope." Hotaru lowered his blade and looked to the scared teenagers. "Leave. Return to the hideout. I'll be there shortly." Both boys didn't hesitate in nodding their head, as they got up and ran full speed into the night.

Hinata kept her guard up, feeling lightheaded due to the various open wounds. She wanted to kill those boys herself, and she promised herself she will if she gets out of this mess.

"Well, it's time to show you exactly what makes a shinobi better than some run of the mill delinquent." The man formed an odd shape with his hands, and Hinata felt a shift in the air. Before her eyes, something akin to magic took place. Bright purple walls appeared on all sides of her, seemingly locking her into this cube. Locked in with this bastard.

"It's a _Shinobi Kekkai_. Normally it's a barrier we would use this to keep out civilians." A cocky smirk formed on his face. "But this time, it's to keep you in with me." With those words he moved. His speed comparable to Hikage and Naruto on their best days. Hinata only had a split second to react or she would have been impaled through the chest.

She let Hotaru's blade pass by her before slashing out with her own knife towards his midsection. The rogue used his years of experience to move his body perfectly around her form. She could barely track his movement. That's when she felt a tight hold around her neck. He placed his arm tightly around Hinata, slowly suffocating her. Hotaru's previous cocky look was only amplified now.

Blinking away the darkness that began to take hold on her, Hinata tightened her hand around her knife even more fiercely, and stabbed it down. The fact that Hotaru didn't expect this action was due to his own arrogance. His looked shocked due to the flare up in pain of his right thigh. Using every ounce of her strength she twisted the knife as deeply as she could.

The hold was released as Hotaru backed off momentarily, allowing Hinata to take greedy gasps of air. Her knife was now coated in the blood of the person she could safely say she hated the most. She'd usually allow her face to contort into sadistic glee at this point, but she felt her body slowing down, there was no time for that.

Hotaru grimaced at the wound to his thigh. That evil looking knife certainly lived up to its looks, that hurt like hell. "You better savor that you bitch, it'll be the only one you get." Putting the least amount of weight that he could on his injured leg, he was off again. To another trained shinobi, he was fighting with a handicap. To a trained civilian, he was lighting quick.

Hinata's eyes widened again as he appeared in front of her vision. Expecting another opportunity to counter from the right, she leaned her body in anticipation of the attack.

She was wrong. He moved quickly to the left, a basic way to throw off an opponent, but it worked due to her state.

Pain.

She felt a lot of pain.

Her left shoulder currently held a gleaming silver blade. Down to the very bone she felt the twisting of the knife. She didn't even have time to let out a scream as he yanked his knife out again, driving it lower this time into the area right above her hips. Her eyes saw white light as her world exploded in pain.

Kicking her away, Hotaru watched the woman writhe in pain. She wasn't sure which wound to put pressure on, his attack was deadly. Blood poured out of the major wounds like a river, she was helpless to stop the flow. Her knife lay discarded next to her as she fell to the ground.

"Well well well... where's all that bravado now? I usually don't do this, but you pissed me off woman. So outclassed, yet you walk around town like you own it. I'm glad I was under orders to use my gang to take care of the trash." The voice seemed faint to Hinata, she could hear her own heartbeat in her ears, and it felt like she was under water. "Between you and me though... orders or not... I would have done it anyway." Her teary eyes made out the man's black boots as he stood a couple feet away.

The voice of Hotaru rambled on more, gone was the facade of a cold shinobi, in its place was a arrogant man gazing at a defeated opponent. Hinata wasn't even thinking about that anymore, her thoughts weren't occupied by her gang, her pain or her fight. No. They were of Hikage and Naruto.

'Looks like this is it huh... my precious children.' Hinata let out quiet sobs of pain at her thoughts which caught the attention of the man to stop his monologue.

Giving a smirk again he verbally put more salt into her wounds. "Look at you, a "proud leader" crying and bleeding out. If only your foolish gang could see you now." He paused, looking thoughtful. "Wait... if I recall from the reports, you adopted two children. Seems like I have a house call to make." His words. Hinata felt like cold water was dumped on her. That was her biggest fear. She couldn't allow that, she wouldn't.

Using whatever willpower, she had left, Hinata did her best to get up. Shakily moving her bloodied body, she made it to her knees while breathing heavily. Her arms, despite the stab wounds and weakness, pushed onto the cold ground which allowed her to begin an attempt at standing up. The rogue watched her struggle in amusement. Hinata stood on shaking legs, her once beautiful face was caked in blood and dirt. Her clothing ripped and torn, revealing much more than she would ever want. Despite her eyelids protest, she opened her eyes, glaring with enough hatred to freeze a lesser being.

Closing his own eyes, the man scoffed at her, not at all interested in her struggle anymore. 'I have to find her brats, I might as well finish this.' He opened his eyes only to narrow them as he moved rapidly to evade two throwing knives coming for his skull. They were expertly aimed, had he not have opened his eyes in that second, he'd certainly be dead, shinobi or not. 'I can't afford any more mistakes. This ends now.' His own eyes became colder, the woman was on her last legs, but her throws were similar to a shinobi.

Hinata didn't even have the strength to curse her misfortune over the miss. Regret and pain were the only things she was feeling now. The regret hurting her more than the deadly wounds.

Hotaru shifted onto his good leg again, brandishing his blade and moved to finish the job. Hinata had no more strength, they both knew it. Approaching towards the dying woman, the shinobi made his move and struck her with the knife again.

"KAA-CHAN!" A desperate voice called throughout the thick air.

* * *

*_Minutes before_ _with Naruto and Hikage*_

Retracing the steps that they knew their mother would take to her hideout, Naruto and Hikage kept their eyes and ears open. They ran in the dark, way past midnight, yet they didn't lose speed.

"Naru... we have to take a right up here. We can cut through alleyways after that." Hikage looked back while running, seeing the object of her affection looking around wildly. He looked awful now, his calm disposition gone in favor of panic.

"Hikage! We have to move faster please!" Naruto quickly got in front of her, dropping on a knee suddenly and presenting his back to her. Hikage knew he wasn't insulting her physical ability, but they both knew who the faster one was. She got on his back quickly, tightening her hold around Naruto's body as she felt a sickening feeling take hold in her own chest.

As soon as she was secure, Naruto took off like a bullet. Racing towards their mother's last location he felt awful. The sounds of hurried footsteps caught the duo's attention as they looked to the darkened street.

Running as fast as possible were Takeshi and Michio, the dark concealing their forms somewhat. Both groups passed by each other and time came to a halt, Naruto's bright blue eyes narrowed into slits as he took in their faces. The dull streetlight casting enough of a glow to make out their features.

'These two... they look familiar.' Naruto was about to come to a full stop when he felt Hikage tighten her grip more. He shook his head, they had to find Hinata first, deal with these two later.

Meanwhile, Takeshi and Michio were wide eyed as they caught sight of Naruto and Hikage. They both resisted the urge to turn and attack them for reasons of their own. Looking to each other they nodded once, their boss wanted them to return to base, not to engage in any freaks.

Hikage turned her head slightly as Naruto continued to run, watching the retreating forms of the two move as they were bathed in moonlight. She squinted her eyes dangerously. Oh, she remembered, she always will. Resisting her own urge to attack them, she focused on the dire situation.

Pushing his legs to their limit, Naruto felt his own tears of frustration come out. Over the fact that he couldn't stop Hinata, he wasn't strong enough to help solve her problems and that's why she went on her own. Wallowing in self-pity wasn't how he usually acted, but he felt his heart drop in his chest.

It wasn't long before Naruto came to a halt in front of the hideout. The abandoned building looked eerie at this time of night. That wasn't what made both Hikage and Naruto stare with shock. It was the form of their mother, in the street, engaging in combat with a large man. Combat was the wrong term, Hinata was barley moving. Having just been stabbed repeatedly and kicked away.

Hikage fell off of Naruto's back in shock, her grip loosened considerably. Naruto for once didn't acknowledge Hikage, his head was pounding, and his blood was pumping to his heart too fast.

"KAA-CHAN! KAA-CHAN GET UP!" Naruto roared out, but neither the man nor his mother responded. They both didn't even seem to be paying attention to their surroundings. Hikage didn't even want to move at seeing her mother's struggle, but she widened her eyes at Naruto rushing into the fight.

*Bang!* As Naruto got closer, he was pushed back by an invisible force. Landing on his back, Naruto looked up at the moon in anger. He didn't know what prevented him from getting closer, but he didn't care. He'll keep moving forward. Hikage still couldn't move, her own shock over seeing Hinata's wounds kept her frozen.

"HINATA! GET UP! HINATA! HINATA!" Naruto continued yelling, looking as if he was pounding on air, but it wasn't blank space, he felt something solid, a barrier. Seeing his mother on the ground and the man watching her struggle to get up in amusement, something snapped in Naruto.

Hikage watched with wide yellow eyes as Naruto's form began letting off fumes? Steam? She wasn't sure what the wispy energy coming off Naruto's body was, but she felt it. It was oppressive, it felt like someone was crushing her shoulders.

Gritting his teeth in rage, he continued stabbing his trench knives into the barrier, unaware of his current state. Red wisps began to form around him, enhancing his strength unconsciously. His eyes flashing dark red, his teeth sharpening dangerously, and his nails began to take on animalistic traits.

"Damn it! Damn IT! DAMN IT!" Naruto continued stabbing into something he couldn't quite see. He had to get in there! He had to save Hinata!

"LET ME IN!" Stabbing forward with his trench knives recklessly, he felt the air begin to shift. It was working! Gritting his teeth to a excruciating degree, he forced himself more onto the barrier.

Hikage found herself shaking slightly at the feeling in the air. It was terrible. She felt like she would pass out at any minute. The weight of whatever that energy was began to affect her. She looked on, now aware of her own fear, at Naruto. Her Naruto, using everything he had to help their mother and she just sat there. She tried to stand on shaky legs but couldn't. Hikage opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was a whisper, her usual monotone voice changed into panic.

"Naruto... please help her..." Her whisper should not have been heard among Naruto's banging and the howling of the wind that was rapidly forming in the area. By some miracle, Naruto heard her, turning his head and snapping his eyes to Hikage, she saw his face for the first time since the energy came out. The red eyes, the angry look and sharp teeth, this... this was Naruto?

He looked at her for a split second before focusing completely on the barrier. Forcing the blades even deeper, he felt it. 'THERE!' He screamed out internally, unknowingly channeling so much of the "red wisps" into his blades.

The _Shinobi Kekkai_ fell, crumbling quickly and everyone in the vicinity felt that aura full force.

"KAA-CHAN!" Naruto screamed desperately. His voice deeper and aggressive, red slit eyes widened in shock at seeing his mother stabbed in her chest.

Hotaru was shocked at the presence of something like... this thing! The blond teenager with red eyes was releasing such energy that even he felt on edge. Taking hold of the knife that was directly above the left breast of his opponent, Hotaru pulled it out fast and jumped back. He eyed the newcomer dangerously, his amusement now gone completely.

Hinata spit out even more blood, her green eyes losing light but taking in the form of her son. 'N..Naruto...' She thought, desperately watching him advance. She didn't have the strength to keep herself up anymore. Hinata crumbled to the ground by her knife again.

Naruto's breathing became heavier at his mother's condition. He kept his eyes on her body, ignoring the man for the time being. The blond watched his mother struggle to move. He was going to call out to her, but words died in his throat.

"What... what the fuck are you brat? Are you a shinobi?" Hotaru incredulously asked the evil looking teenager. The boys slit eyes snapped to his and for the first time since becoming a rogue, Hotaru felt the cold grip of death and despair.

"..." Naruto's arms hung limply at his side, his strength seemingly drained from the strain he put on himself from breaking the weird barrier.

"Y-You should give it up now kid. You'll end up like your mother if you try to fight with me." Hotaru knew he was basically poking an angry beast with a stick, but he needed to get into the kids head, throw his game off. He knew nothing about him after all, he could be trained. He continued on cruelly. "Actually... I'm hoping you're more of a fight than that bitch of a woman." His arrogant smirk was uncalled for here, even he knew it.

Hearing the words about his mother, and seeing her struggle to breathe on the floor, Naruto began shaking. Not in fear, no. Anger. White hot rage. The energy was practically boiling around him, radiating from his navel. A cloak of red began to take over him, seemingly shaped like a fox. One tail swayed behind him, twitching sporadically. Unknown to everyone, inside Naruto, bright red eyes snapped open.

"What the fu-" Hotaru was interrupted by an enraged Naruto swiping with trench knives at his face. The speed was ridiculous, he didn't even have the time to react. A big arched slash with one of those gleaming trench knives stabbed right into Hotaru's eye.

"ARGH!" The rogue roared, his left eye all but destroyed by the slash and burning sensation of whatever the hell the energy was. He began panting, but Hotaru had no time to breathe as the feral teen was on him again. He had to move fast. Kicking his leg up, the good one, he held back a wince as it connected. It may have pushed away the demon, but the red energy felt like boiling water was spilled on him but a thousand times worse. This was not good. Not good at all.

Naruto rolled on the ground from the harsh kick, the only effect the action had was proving to be a minor distraction. He hunched over slightly, still gripping the blades Hinata got him. In his enraged state, he idly noticed Hikage making her way slowly to Hinata's prone form.

Hotaru knew he had one option in this situation. To retreat. If he stood around and tried to fight this boy after losing an eye he would die. He had no intel on Naruto, nothing. He needed a distraction. He knew he had a few smoke bombs, but the energy using teen needed to be distracted first. Hotaru also noticed Hikage slightly. 'Perfect...' He thought to himself.

Naruto bent his knees, about to pounce towards the man, his intent was to take his head off when he noticed Hotaru shift slightly. Flicking his silver blade towards Hikage's direction, the shinobi threw it with deadly precision despite his injured state.

Hikage was too distracted by her mother's state to notice the thrown knife, but Naruto did. He reached it in a heartbeat, knocking it away with his blades. Focusing his vision away from his family, he looked onto the other side of the street at the man. There was no sign of him, just smoke, a lot of smoke. Naruto ran directly into the smoke, uncaring of his hazy vision. Shifting his eyes in every direction, Naruto tried to pick out where the shinobi went, as he ignored the pain forming from his navel. Scowling heavily at the situation, Naruto let his arms lower. The man was gone. He couldn't chase, he had more important business. Naruto felt his eyes begin to close as the pain in his stomach got more intense. He didn't know what happened to him, but using that energy, it felt natural.

Making his way to the prone form of his mother Naruto dropped the trench knives to the ground with a soft clang sound. He eyed her bleeding form with desperation until he let out a cry of pain. Grasping at his midsection, Naruto fell to his knees by Hinata. The last thing he saw before unconsciousness claimed him was Hikage calling his name as Hinata's weak green eyes peered in his own.

'Hebi-chan... Kaa-chan...' Naruto passed out, falling next to the bloody and broken body of his mother.

* * *

Hikage broke out of her stupor at Naruto's form after seeing him take the man's eye out. She would worry about Naruto's weird energy later, she had to move! Dragging her shaking legs to the form of her mother, she watched as Naruto intercepted a knife that would have certainly killed her. Uncaring of herself right now, Hikage fell besides her mother, feeling a wet sensation on her face. She spared a single look up at the sky. It wasn't raining. What was this? Crying. She was crying.

Hinata looked awful. Stab wounds by her left shoulder, waist and left breast. Deep wounds. She was bleeding out. Hikage felt the tears in her eyes begin to cloud her vision. She couldn't help her, she didn't know what to do. She took her mother's weak hand into her own, watching as Naruto approached them. He was in pain... Hikage wanted to get up and help him stand but he passed out quickly after she shouted his name.

"...Hi...Hikage..." Hinata's hoarse voice came out slowly and painfully.

"Kaa-san, please just... hold on... I'll..." Hikage didn't know what she would do, she had no idea! She felt more tears build up. She couldn't even help her mother.

"It... it's okay..." Hinata weakly opened her eyes, doing her best to seek out Hikage's face. "H-hey... Hikage-chan... Naruto...-chan..." Hinata wheezed out as blood filled her lungs. Hikage listened intently to her mother, despite her own silent sobbing.

"You... you both... I'm so proud. I love you... both so much." Hinata could barely make out the blond and green hair that were beside her on the ground. "H...hey why... why don't we all go to the park... tomorrow... we can relax huh... my cuties..." She began to mumble under her breath, barely able to hear Hikage's muffled sobs.

"Hehe... I'm so glad..." Hinata began slowly. "So glad... you... tried to rob me... all those years ago... right... my little..." Hinata smiled, her hand fully limp in Hikage's grip. Her breathing slowed to a crawl and her attempts at speaking ceased.

Hikage wiped at her eyes, focusing to see why Hinata stopped talking. That's when she noticed, Hinata wasn't breathing. With a smile on her face and her two precious people at her side, Hinata passed away in the middle of the night.

Hikage's hands began to shake, she didn't know what emotion this was. She didn't know anymore. She continued to sob as her mother's body was limp on the floor. Her eyes taking in all the fatal stab wounds, memorizing them completely. Hikage felt her own eyes get heavy as she fell next to her mother, opposite to the side of Naruto. She began to breathe at a fastened pace, grasping at her own chest. Hikage soon joined Naruto in unconsciousness due to hyperventilating.

The abandoned streets were silent, almost peaceful. The only noise made was Naruto and Hikage breathing slowly as they laid on the cold hard ground. It would remain that way until a purple haired woman looked down at the family of three with shock and some amount of pity. She gave her own shaky sigh and mumbled under her breath.

"What a night..." Rin let her eyes drop to the blond boy, a black tattoo glowing intensely on his navel.

* * *

Drowning.

Was he drowning?

He certainly felt like it.

Opening his eyes, all he could see was darkness. It felt like water was surrounding him and making it hard to breathe. He began to struggle, kicking and moving erratically.

That's when he felt movement. He was being picked up. Was it Hikage? Was it... Hinata? No... Hinata was...

Naruto gasped harshly as he was picked up suddenly and flung backwards onto a wet ground. He struggled to open his eyes again, but surely all that would come out would be tears after what happened.

He heard a growl. An animal. He didn't know where he was, and with his eyes still closed he tried feeling around for his trench knives if he needed to defend himself. His eyes were forced open as he jumped from the loud bang that echoed throughout the chamber, he was in.

Blue eyes took in the sight before him with nothing sort of shock and awe. While red feral eyes took in the sight with confusion, shock, sadness, and rage.

Wetting his dry lips to speak Naruto managed to stutter out quietly. "Wh-what's happening? Where am I? What are you? Some kind of monster?!"

A giant nine tailed fox with reddish orange fur sat before him. Black fur was around its eyes that stretched to the ears, while it's red irises with black slits shined with many emotions. Surprisingly the upper body structure looked human like, as the foxes clawed hands also oddly had a pair of opposable thumbs.

"**... Naruto... What happened?" **The fox questioned in a very deep voice, peering down in shock at Naruto.

"I-I don't know! I thought you would know! What the fuck is going on?!" Naruto looked confused, angry and sad. He honestly felt like he wanted to cry right now, but the gigantic fox took priority. He was further surprised by a gigantic fist being placed in front of his face.

"**Naruto! Synch your chakra with mine! Right now!" **The fox roared, sounding somewhat desperate.

"Chakra?! Synch?! What the hell are you talking about? What even are you!" He began to pull at his hair.

"**Oh by the sage... we are fucked." **The great beast muttered lowly, looking just as lost as Naruto was. **"Boy! I will answer those questions in a second! Place your fist against mine, I need to do something." **The fist remained in place, waiting for Naruto's action.

"You know what, I don't even know what's happening anymore! I need to go help Kaa-chan! We can do this later... whatever you are!" Naruto stood to his feet, before he was blown back again by a mere finger flick from the beast.

"**You don't understand! Naruto... do what I ask right now...**" The nine tails growled out dangerously. If Naruto were paying attention to its tone, he would notice the nervousness. **'Did he say Kaa-chan? Kushina? Why's he look younger? The clothing... the chakra... what is happening?!' **The internal questions were making the tailed beasts head spin.

"Alright! Alright... I'll... give you a fist bump I guess." Naruto slowly raised his fist up to the large orange one. The chamber they were in was completely silent now, not even the water under them was emitting any noise from movement.

Kurama was in a huge state of shock right now. What the hell happened? One minute they were working together outside the seal against that damn Ōtsutsuki brat and now Kurama was up and Naruto lived to be fifteen years old again?! Hell, the kid didn't even know what chakra was? Focusing on Naruto's chakra, Kurama began to synchronize with him.

"What is this?!" Naruto yelled out as he felt the energy coursing through him. It was flaring up around him. First blue, then red, then a brilliant orange and yellow. The colors kept changing wildly and the gigantic fox looked to be struggling.

In the span of a couple seconds, Kurama saw flashes of what's been going on with Naruto outside the open seal. This was bad. '**He de-aged somehow and we aren't anywhere close to home. His chakra's also been laying dormant for many years... I can't properly work with him.' **Kurama thought with a grimace. Naruto's massive chakra reserves were intact. But, if Kurama couldn't connect their chakra correctly, Naruto wouldn't be able to remember anything from the past... or his past life... Was it possible for a mass construct of chakra to get a headache?

"That light show was amazing and all, but I really need to go fox. I need to check on Hikage and Kaa-chan." Naruto was rightfully impatient, Kurama knew who those people were from the flashes of memory. Unfortunately, Kurama would need to sit and sort through all Naruto's memories to get a full grasp of their situation.

"**Listen Naruto... you need to pay attention now. My name is Kurama. Do not overreact but I'm inside you, you are my Jinchūriki." **Kurama ignored Naruto's shout of curses, wonderment and disgust over "being inside of him". "**I won't sugarcoat this brat, you're not from here. Your snake girlfriend and 'Kaa-chan' probably should not have even met you." **Was it harsh to say? Yes. Kurama was going through a lot right now too, there was no time for politeness.

Naruto's eyes widened at the absurdity of that statement. "What the hell are you talking about not from here? I was in the orphanage until Hikage-chan and I ran away. Then we got caught by Kaa-chan, of course I met them!"

"**... We are partners from a different... world? Universe? Time? I'm not even sure myself, but Naruto you are not from here. I do not care how absurd it sounds, we were fighting a damned moon brat before you got flung away suddenly and I was pulled back into the seal. Do not shout again about how stupid this sounds!" **At Kurama's words, Naruto's mouth shut. Kurama knew how ridiculous this sounded especially since Naruto was lacking his memories, but he needed to boy to understand the mess they're in.

"**You can remember everything about our past, probably. I need you to hit your chakra with mine perfectly. That's the problem though... your chakra has become so..."** Kurama mulled over the correct words to use for a second. "**...hard to move since it's been dormant for years. Usually your chakra is wild and flowing but considering you can't even actively call it out on your own is where the problem starts. You being enraged and drawing upon my more... **_**negative**_** chakra isn't enough to perfectly synch the two of us again." **

Naruto looked pensive and Kurama was honestly happy that Naruto was seemingly more perspective in this world... time... universe... whatever. "What is this chakra? Is it the red energy I used to take that fucking bastards eye?" Naruto snarled out and Kurama had a bad feeling that this new Naruto would have a bit of a tougher time dealing with hatred.

Kurama hummed for a second, wanting to explain it to the boy but not overloading him. Well more than he already was. **"Chakra is produced in your chakra coils brat. It was something my old man spread to humanity due to his... awful mother. It's essentially physical and spiritual energy that you damn shinobi mold and throw around like crazy in your ninjutsu. When I teach you how to mold and use your chakra properly, we can go into specifics." **Kurama really didn't want to have to train Naruto back up, but it was his partner, he'd help him no matter what.

"...Shinobi? I'm... a shinobi?" Naruto had a gob smacked expression on his face. All the talk him and Hikage had about shinobi and it turns out he was one from the start.

"**You **_**were**_** a shinobi. Judging from your brief memories... it seems that man you were fighting had some special skills as well."** Kurama grimaced, focusing on the memory Naruto's wild chakra showed the bijuu. The man killed his adopted mother and caused Naruto to go into a rage, which in turn woke Kurama up from a long, long sleep. If Naruto had even a fraction of his memories and skill back, that man would never have escaped alive. Kurama did feel bad for Naruto, to know a parents love again, and get it taken away. Tragic.

Naruto looked down remembering the man who... fought Hinata. "Do... do you think Kaa-chan will be alright... Kurama?" Naruto's bright eyed looked up at Kurama and the fox flinched away. Naruto's eyes were much more innocent here compared to the one who survived Kaguya and Madara.

"**I don't want to lie to you Naruto. Those wounds you saw before passing out... she's a normal human being Naruto. Strong yes... but she won't be able to survive that." **Kurama looked down sadly at Naruto. The boy hung his head in defeat, tears in his eyes.

"What about... you said 'ninjutsu'! Do I know anything special that could help her?!" He looked hopeful for a second despite the tears. His hopes were crushed when the massive bijuu shook its head in the negative.

"**You never had the patience, time or control in the past to learn medical ninjutsu... although at one point you were able to heal wounds far greater than... Hinata's." **It was strange to address the woman who raised Naruto with the name of the girl whom he was close to dating in the past. Kurama banished the thoughts of the Hyūga girl, it would do no good to be stuck in the past right now.

"Can I still do it?! Can I use that red chakra again and heal her?!" Naruto's emotions were fluctuating all over the place as Kurama sensed them all. '**It's a good thing that snake girl is with him, he's going to have a tough time.' **Kurama thought before leaning down and sorrowfully responding to Naruto. "**I told you, you haven't used chakra in so long. You're in no position to use something like that right now. I'm sorry... Naruto." **Kurama truly was sorry.

Feeling that the beast was genuine, Naruto tightened his fists before sighing out shakily. "Where am I Kurama? And can I leave?... Not that I mind talking with you, but Hikage-chan needs me." It hurt to not mention Hinata, but Naruto knew he'd have to be strong for Hikage. Even though he felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest right now.

"**We are in an area within the seal that connects me to you. While I may not be locked up anymore, I'm still very much attached to you Naruto." **Hearing Naruto's mumble of "this all sounds like bullshit." Made Kurama give a small fanged smile before continuing. "**I could either force you to leave or if you knew how to channel chakra properly, you could come and go as you please. For now, I'll take care of our visits don't worry." **Seeing that Naruto understood, judging by his head nod, Kurama laid down deeper to stare at Naruto.

"**I know you have a lot of questions Naruto, I'll do my best to answer a lot of them. However, for now you need rest. You've used my chakra, something that used to affect your body quite a bit before we became a team. Your weaker body passed out from the exertion, you need to sleep it off." **The downtrodden look on Naruto's face was a shame, but they were staring at square one here.

Naruto approached Kurama's side slowly as the bijuu watched. The teen sat and leant against Kurama's fur, letting out another weary sigh. It seemed that unconsciously, Naruto didn't fear him. While it would have been funny, it would have hurt Kurama if Naruto held fear for the fox like he did when he was younger.

"Hey... Kurama. I-I'm just going to sleep for a bit. Watch over me okay?" Naruto felt like shit, though he trusted the fox. He didn't even get a response before his eyes shut and he pressed into the bijuu's soft fur.

Kurama eyed Naruto sadly before softly calling out with a deep voice. **"Happy birthday... Naruto." **Naruto smiled slightly in his sleep, no doubt dreaming of his family, the one who was down a member after tonight.

Kurama didn't sleep, fifteen years was enough for a nap. Instead, sorting through Naruto's memories was Kurama's goal. After all, they needed a plan for training and Kurama needed to know the specifics of how this world worked.

'**I won't fail you again brat...'**

* * *

Hikage shot up suddenly, eyes frantically looking around the room she was in. The sun was starting to rise, creating a faint light in the otherwise dark white room. It looked similar to a hospital room.

Turning her head to her left, she spotted another bed holding the only person she had left. Naruto. She stood on sore legs and began to make her way to him. Her bloodied jacket was removed from her, leaving her in a tight black shirt and red sweatpants. She didn't even bother thinking about where they were or who took them here. All that mattered was Naruto now.

'I'm sorry Kaa-san... I'm so sorry.' Hikage closed her eyes tightly to stop tears from accumulating as she reached Naruto's bed. Once she was sure she wouldn't be crying like before, Hikage opened her eyes to check on Naruto. He slept with a horrible look on his face, tossing and turning in the small bed.

Hikage wasted no time getting on top of him, arms wrapping around his torso as she leant her head against his chest. His heartbeat, which would usually lull her to sleep, was frantic. She wouldn't be getting back to sleep, the room, Naruto's state and Hinata's death were all plaguing her mind. She didn't know what to do anymore.

'...But at least...at least I still have Naruto.' Hikage's dead yellow eyes gained a look of affection as she looked at him. She realized his shirt was removed from him, making a now intricate tattoo easily seen on his navel, as well as the necklace around his neck that she gave him a few hours ago. Hikage eyed his stomach suspiciously, knowing Naruto never got a tattoo with her around and she was always with him, so it warranted caution. 'A tattoo... huh...' Her thoughts went back to Hinata's vicious stab wounds, which would have been worse if not for Naruto's intervention.

"What was that Naru..." Hikage mumbled, watching as he slept. She never saw Naruto that angry. The sharp teeth and nails, the deeper voice... the red slit eyes that reminded Hikage of her own. Reflecting on it all, she... didn't mind his looks, but not the rage that made her shake in fear. Even though she didn't know what it was, she was glad that he used the somewhat scary energy to help Hinata. Though the effort was futile.

Hinata. Hikage should have agreed with Naruto. They could have used force if need be to keep her home. 'It's my fault too... Naruto didn't want her to go but... but I thought she'd be fine.' Hikage began blaming herself, even though she didn't know anything about Hinata's situation beforehand. Now it was apparent that people were out to kill their mother and in the end it worked. Tightening her hold on Naruto, Hikage felt sick to her stomach. 'Could I have prevented this? Will Naruto hate me...' If Naruto hated her, and Hinata was gone, Hikage would have nothing. It'd be just like the orphanage all over again. Her eyes began to leak again, she knew she was beginning to cry. About to cry for the loss of her mother, over the look of desperation Naruto had and at the thoughts of being alone.

"... Hikage-chan." Naruto's whisper made her whip her head up from its position on his chest. She looked into dull blue eyes that made her chest tighten. She didn't even give him a chance to speak before she began talking, something rare for her, but regret was eating away at her.

"Naru... I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I let Kaa-san go, I... I'm sorry I was useless. Now she's gone and you'll leave me too." Naruto listened as her usual emotionless voice was cracking under the weight of the nights events. He was hurting too, badly, not to mention his confusion over everything involving Kurama. 'I'll focus on myself later, I have to take care of Hikage.' He brought his arms up and wrapped them around her back.

"Hebi-chan, stop. It's not your fault. You believed in Kaa-chan to the very end. I don't want to admit it but... not even I did." He looked into those yellow eyes that he loved before continuing "... Hinata was stubborn Hikage-chan. I'm angry at her for going by herself... she had to have a reason for it." Naruto shook his head at the negative thoughts of his mother's actions. "Don't ever worry about me leaving you alone Hebi-chan, even if Kaa-chan was taken from us, it'll always be the two of us against the world, right?" Hikage's eyes watered slightly at his words, her claims of having no emotions meant nothing around Naruto.

"I love you Naruto." Her voice was soft, carrying easily throughout the quiet hospital-like room.

Naruto gave a weak grin at her. "I love you too. I swear on everything Hikage, I'll get revenge for Hinata." Hikage felt his grip tighten around her. "It's the promise of a lifetime." His eyes briefly flashed red in his rage, making Hikage stare in surprise.

"I want to help you every step of the way Naru." She was dead serious.

"Where the hell are we?" Naruto finally looked around the stale room. Hikage gave a shrug, seemingly uncaring.

"No idea. If they wanted us dead though we wouldn't be laying together in a bed." She had a good point.

Naruto looked around the room for any sight of his or Hikage's knives. There was nothing. Nothing to defend themselves with if need be. Closing his eyes hard, making Hikage eye him curiously, he called out internally.

'Kurama! Kurama! Are you there?!' He realized how weird it sounded to shout in his own head, but he hoped it worked.

'... **Naruto. I'm focusing right now on your memories. What happened?' **Kurama was momentarily surprised Naruto knew to call out over their link. It seems he subconsciously knew from previous experience.

'Hebi-chan and I are stuck in some random room. We don't have our weapons... if I need to defend her, can I use that... chakra?' He had to pause to remember the name of the energy again.

Kurama looked troubled, even though Naruto couldn't quite see the bijuu's expression. '**That chakra will break your body down in your current state Naruto. You haven't trained to even use your own yet, you think you can handle mine?' **The bijuu responded back. Kurama knew if Naruto was in a life threatening situation, that chakra would be essential, but secretly the Kyuubi was optimistic that no fighting would break out.

'Dammit... well as long as I'm still breathing I'll give everything I got to defending Hikage-chan if I need to.' Naruto was a bit upset he couldn't use that exhilarating power right now, but he wasn't deterred. He was still a damn good fighter, even though his body and head were killing him right now.

Kurama smiled again, thinking about how even without his memories, Naruto was still the same. Always willing to jump headfirst for those he wanted to protect. '**Heh. Don't worry brat, once you rest up we will get right to work on your weak little body.' **Kurama gave a dark chuckle at Naruto's loud offended curse.

"...Naruto...Naruto..." Blinking his eyes, Naruto came back to his senses to focus on Hikage again. The girl was watching him with concern. "You spaced out... are you okay?"

Stroking her green hair, Naruto nodded his head. "I'm okay Hikage-chan. I have a lot I need to tell you about, but once we get the hell out wherever we are. We do need to find our weapons and... Kaa-chan..." He trailed off thinking about their mother's body.

"You both aren't going anywhere right now." A stern female voice called out to both of them. Breaking their attention from each other as they tensed up considerably. Standing in the door of their makeshift room was a beautiful purple haired woman... wearing a very provocative teaching outfit. Her large chest was quite literally straining against her white button up shirt.

"Who the hell are you lady?!" Naruto had manners, though he was raised by Hinata so...

"... My name is Suzune, and you both are on sacred school grounds right now. Lower your voice." The woman narrowed her ruby red eyes at Naruto who looked even more confused. Hikage watched everything with apprehension.

"School grounds?! Whatever lady, where's our blades? More importantly, Hinata." His blue eyes hardened as he sat up, prompting Hikage to move off his chest. "Where is her body?" He was on edge now, if this woman did anything...

"Your weapons are safe in my room for now. As for Daybreak's leader... her body is in a small morgue nearby. I would never allow such a person on the grounds here, but I have as a matter of circumstance." Rin, or rather Suzune now, didn't care much for Hinata as a person. However, the woman's skill had to be acknowledged. Judging by the fact that she attracted the attention of rogue shinobi, she was deadly. 'Unfortunately, I got caught up in more rogues preventing myself from getting to the woman.' She meant to follow Hinata fully, however Rin had a duty to Hebijo. Eliminating the strays that attacked her was her number one priority. It was cold, but it was her job. If the stubborn gang leader bit off more than she could chew, well Rin wasn't to blame.

"Don't insult our Kaa-chan." Naruto's eyes were just as cold as Rin's at her words about Hinata. "We want to bury her. That's nonnegotiable. If you have a problem with that..." Naruto stood up, taking a firm stance as he eyed the lewd looking teacher.

The woman looked on with no apprehension at his actions, seemingly relaxed. "That won't be a problem, but I have a proposition for you two." She eyed them both. 'That's the only reason I'm not going to put that brat in his place.' Plus, a very small part of her knew they were hurting from their mother's death. She'd let it slide for now.

"A proposition?" Hikage's tone was tinted with curiosity. The woman regarded her with a stoic stare before answering.

"Yes. You see these school grounds happen to be one of a shinobi institute. Hebijo Clandestine Girls' Academy to be exact." Rin watched the two gain a look of shock.

"Shinobi...?" Hikage muttered

"... Girls? Girls Academy? EH?!" Naruto raised his voice again, dropping his firm stance. Rin shot him a glare at his raised voice.

"Yes. It's an all-female academy. Shinobi are indeed a real faction, and this academy is the training grounds for evil shinobi." She began her explanation before being interrupted again by a angry looking Naruto and surprising apprehensive Hikage.

"Evil? Listen lady... Sunzue whatever, we aren't evil. Being a shinobi sounds awesome but the evil part ain't for us." Naruto associated the word evil with the obvious negative connotation, not for a second remembering what exactly his own mother did in her life.

"That's humorous considering the woman who raised you both was a known killer. You think Hinata was just sending her gang members out to make friends and peace? A good shinobi school would never accept either of you. The term "evil shinobi" does not mean I expect you both to run out onto the streets and murder every man, woman or child in sight." She paused to take their troubled looks before continuing on. Good, her words were working. "We have a saying here. Where good accepts few, evil accepts all. You both have nowhere to go now. A home sure, but no education and a broken gang will lead you nowhere. You can have a purpose here." Ending her speech, she waited patiently for their response. Hopefully it was a good response or...

"Listen you-" Naruto was cut off by Hikage.

"Naruto... I think we... we should take the offer. She's right. Kaa-san is gone and... we have nothing." Her yellow eyes searched Naruto's uneasy blue ones. "Remember... you and I against the world?" She recited one of the quotes that Naruto always used to make her feel good.

Naruto bit as his lip in thought. Yeah, it'd give them both a purpose again. They did always want to be shinobi. Well he recently discovered he _was_ one_. _Besides evil was only a term right? He wouldn't actually be evil? What would Hinata want for them?

'**For the sages sake Naruto... just accept.' **The fox groaned out from inside his head, making Naruto blink. '**It will give you a chance to learn alongside regaining back your abilities, plus the snake girl will be better at defending herself.' **Kurama explained. This also gave Kurama chance to observe how this shinobi system worked through Naruto's eyes. The world wasn't ready for a centuries old chakra beast to plot behind the scenes. Kurama gave a grin at that line of thinking.

Naruto nodded his head repeatedly, agreeing with Kurama. Promoting Rin and Hikage to raise an eyebrow at his weird actions. He turned his attention back to the cold ruby eyes.

"Okay... we accept. We'll study here to be shinobi." He said before remembering a small tiny detail. "Wait, you said all girls academy? How the hell can I be here?! I won't be separated from Hikage-chan I swear I'll-" Rin cut him off with a raised hand.

"The principal of Hebijo has deemed it acceptable to allow you into the student body. You will be trained and educated alongside the females. It's not my concern how the other students will view this, that all falls onto your shoulders." Naruto's shoulders dropped at this. 'Great... these girls will probably hate me...' Were his negative thoughts. Hikage on the other hand...

'All girls... no... no. I won't allow any of them to touch him. He's... mine.' She gripped the sheets of the bed tightly that she was seated on. Causing Rin to watch the two teenagers with a deadpan expression. 'This is going to be another pain in the ass isn't it. Dammit...' The evil shinobi thought dreadfully.

"When do we start then?" Naruto questioned the woman as he sat next to Hikage now. The green haired girl leaned against him.

"This coming week I will introduce you to another student who will be in the same year as you. You will have your time to pack whatever belongings you wish to bring to the dormitory in the school. Due to the school being all female, he will have to dorm with you." The woman pointed at Hikage, who had absolutely no issue with that. "Now. I'll give you both a couple minutes to collect yourselves before allowing you to go to the morgue. I will personally assist you this once in the burial. Consider this a thanks for accepting the offer." Rin worded it like they had a chance to deny, however Dōgen specifically wanted them, they have little chance to get out of it.

Naruto nodded thankfully at her before verbally responding. "Alright, we will meet you outside in a few minutes Suzune...-sensei?" At the women's appraising look he continued on. "Thanks for getting us from the streets and grabbing Kaa-chan... it means a lot." He meant it. Despite being weary around this woman, he was glad she helped them out, even if she has ulterior motives.

"I'll be waiting outside Naruto, Hikage." With those parting words, Rin turned on her heel and exited the room. Naruto and Hikage sat in silence for a couple minutes, processing their situation. It's been a long night for both of them even though the sun was rising now.

"... How did she know our names?"

"Wait a minute!"

Kurama snorted in Naruto's mind. '**Idiots. You both gave her your names when talking to each other.' **

'Oi! Fox! Don't insult us!' The continued chuckling of the tailed beast made Naruto grit his teeth.

'**Some things never change.**' Kurama mumbled lowly, strangely happy despite the awful and confusing situation. It felt good knowing Naruto was alive, and reasonably well.

'**This world won't know what hit it...' **The smirk on Kurama's face was malicious.

'Kurama! Stop planning evil shit in my head!'

Naruto was always going to be Naruto. And Kurama was more than okay with that.

* * *

**AN - **Annnnd that's Chapter 6. I know some people will be disappointed and some will be okay with Hinata's fate. Believe me, I wrote out both scenarios since even I got a bit attached to her as a character. The one where she unfortunately passes away just works better for my story. It sucks but not everything can go well for Naruto and Hikage.

Hey, Kurama is back. Probably one of my favorite characters to write. If you noticed I did my damn best to not address Kurama with a gender (hopefully I won't mess that up). Kurama is a chakra beast, not a boy or girl. Of course, the deep voice and whatnot makes people believe the tailed beast to be a boy. But for my story, Kurama is Kurama, that's all. I enjoy the occasional "female kyuubi" story just as much as the next person but jesus I read so many of those in the past couple years. Nothing against people who associate Kurama with a specific gender, it's just not something I'm doing for this story.

Yeah, Naruto hit a roadblock with his chakra for the time being. This is not meant to nerf him or anything in the least. He's gonna struggle to work back up to where he was. Plus, the trench knives are going to be something he cherishes since they are from Hinata.

A quick couple questions. Is it a "harem"? I'm gonna hit that with a "probably." In the beginning I wasn't planning on it, just Hikage would get Naruto. But maybe overtime she'll share him as she forms her canon relationships. If it all works out, the pairing will not be huge, there's tooooo many Senran Kagura girls and you can bet money a portion of them are a little lesbian. Nothing wrong with that, but that just means they won't get wet at the thought of Naruto constantly.

Also, someone asked about lemons. That's gonna get hit with another "Ehhhh probably" from me. I'm not going to have this story become blatant porn, but I mean Senran Kagura is a sexual series despite the plot. It isn't too farfetched for sex to occur here, but keep in mind I never wrote a sex scene before, that could mean it'll be either be hot garbage or mediocre lmfao.

Oh, and this is a bit of an early story update, my plan is to update weekly but considering Friday Kill la Kill : IF comes out... I'm gonna be a bit distracted. Kill la Kill is one of my favorite series so I gotta be on that shit. As always though, thanks for the reviews, PM's and feedback. You beautiful people are amazing. Spoiler, I'm probably going to write a Naruto and Kill la Kill crossover at some point.


	7. Entering the Vipers Den

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

The sun was barely peeking above the horizon when they buried Hinata. Their "new teacher" made the process surprisingly smooth. Well, as smooth as it could get considering the situation.

Hinata was buried close to their home, in the same field she'd spend time sparring or relaxing with her kids. Both Naruto and Hikage never lost a loved one, at least in this lifetime for Naruto, and the short goodbyes they gave to her affected them deeply.

"Kaa-san always did like being outside..." Hikage trailed off as she looked at the marked patch of land Suzune-sensei buried her in. It wasn't grand or beautiful to look out but considering the fact that most shinobi of the past were either cremated or simply left to rot, she did a good job. The grave was marked, etched into stone, displaying Hinata's name and role in life.

Naruto remained quiet, he simply gazed at the stone fondly.

'Hinata - A loving and badass mother.'

He cracked a small smile as he read over the words he chose. Hikage had no clue what to etch into the stone, leaving that decision up to Naruto. He chose the two words that he always associated with the woman. Her loving feelings towards them, never changing since day one. Her strength and will that he admired. Even when Hinata was down and out, she gave everything her all.

'I'll miss you Kaa-chan... so much...' Naruto blinked to clear his eyes of the stinging tears. 'I'll be strong. Strong so you'd be proud. Strong for Hebi-chan. I'll never let anything happen to Hikage, not on my life.' His firm gaze was locked onto the silent ground, almost hoping for a response. His train of thoughts were interrupted by Hikage, who pushed her way into his side.

"Naru. Are you alright?" She noticed him spacing out again. Hikage usually observed everything he did, but now her attention was on him 100%, his unusual behavior was eating away at her.

"... Yeah. I'm sorry Hikage-chan, I'm just... tired ya know? I have a lot to tell you too." He interlocked their fingers together. Hikage was about to respond before the busty teacher walked up to both of them. Finally moving from her respectable distance as they grieved. She was cold and jaded, but she wouldn't deny two their last words with their mother.

"I will be coming back to your home later on in the day. Use the opportunity to rest up, you both need it." It was true, Hikage's disheveled appearance was only made more apparent with the bags under her uniquely colored eyes. Naruto on the other hand... looked like shit. His clothes torn with dried blood that may or may not be his own, messy hair made worse than usual and reddened eyes from his own tears.

'I also need to report to Reo-sama about the energy I felt. Could it have been the person Hinata was fighting? Or...' Rin's ruby eyes narrowed behind her thin rimmed glasses. She eyed Naruto before dismissing the thought of him being the source of the overwhelming energy. She couldn't even put her finger on what it was, it certainly felt like nothing she used before when using her own shinobi arts.

Her speculation was cut short as she noticed them both nodding. She only had to address one more thing before leaving. Reaching in her bust and withdrawing a small scroll, the two teens watched with differing looks. Hikage was her usual indifference. Naruto, well...

'Eh? Does she really keep things in there? Do girls keep things in their bras Kurama?' He called out to the fox with a slight blush on his face.

'**How the hell should I know? Do you think I have knowledge about what women store in their shirts?' **Kurama grumbled to Naruto.

'But you're like hundreds of years old right?! You've had to see something like this before!' Naruto face changed to an incredulous look, prompting Hikage to break her attention away from their teachers odd action.

'**No. Half the time I was either imprisoned or sleeping. I can't give you an answer as to why this woman would keep her scroll by her breasts.' **Kurama paused for a second. '**Naruto stop interrupting me dammit! I'm trying to focus still. I have years of memories to view.' **Truthfully, Kurama enjoyed the banter with Naruto, though not when there were more important matters.

'Fine Fine! Sorry Kurama...' All he got in return was another grumble from the tailed beast.

"Ahem." The sound of a throat being cleared snapped his attention out of his thoughts. The purple haired woman's scroll was now gone, replaced by weapons that were obviously familiar.

"My blades! And Kaa-chan's knife..." Naruto looked at the knife with sad eyes. Hikage's attention was broken yet again from watching her Naruto's weird mental space outs to focus on her mother's most prized material possession. Rin handed the weapons over to the teens. Naruto receiving his trench knives and Hikage holding her mother's.

"I'm returning these. They will both be useful for your upcoming training. With that, I'll leave you two for now." She spun on her heel made to retreat, if not for Naruto's voice calling to her.

"Wait! Suzune-sensei... I want to thank you again for the help with burying Kaa-chan." Naruto scratched the back of his neck slowly, a habit he's always had, before continuing. "I know you didn't have to do this, but it means a lot ya know..." He trailed off, waiting for the stoic woman's response. Hikage's attention was transfixed on her mother's blade for the time being.

Rin rose her eyebrow at the strange verbal quirk that Naruto had, before nodding and letting her features soften very slightly. If not for Naruto's amazing ability to read people, honed from his Hikage reading skills, he would have never noticed the change.

"You're both welcome. You're going to be my students, it's a teachers responsibility to help her students is it not?" The woman questioned rhetorically before continuing on her path of exiting the clearing.

Naruto watched her exit with only one thought on his mind. 'Evil shinobi huh? That didn't seem very evil to me...' He shook his head before looking to his partner in everything. "Hebi-chan? What's wrong with the blade?"

The snake girl raised her head to the sound of his voice and hummed softly to herself. "Nothing... Do you think Kaa-san would want me to have it?" She eyed her love searching for his confirmation.

"Of course. You and Kaa-chan fight the same way and everything. I'm sure she would be extremely proud to see her daughter fight and spill blood like she did." Naruto gave her a soft smile as he responded. His words seemed a bit crude, but their mother wasn't a soft person. Her sadistic fighting habits rubbed off on Hikage majorly and Naruto knew that blade suited her better than himself.

"I guess you're right." Gripping the malicious knife, Hikage spared another look at the marked grave. 'I'll use this to protect Naruto... and to carry your legacy Kaa-san.' Hikage gave a small smile, making Naruto chuckle.

"What?"

"Nothin'. You just look cute when you smile." He smirked teasingly.

Feeling her face begin to heat up, Hikage looked away from his tired blue eyes before responding with a soft "Ah..."

Naruto shook his head in amusement at her actions before he felt another wave of fatigue hit him. "Hey Hikage-chan. Can we go sleep for a while? I'm still really out of it from everything." He knew the house would be lonely without Hinata, but they'd make it work. They had the funds to supply the house with necessities and for paying the bills, although they wouldn't be home much anymore.

"That's fine." Hikage answered. Her yellow eyes narrowed slightly as she looked deeply into Naruto's. "After we rest, you are going to tell me what's making you space out. No excuses." Her words were fierce despite her usual tone of voice.

"Okay, Okay. I will, I promise. Let's go then, I don't want Suzune-sensei to have to wake us." With those words, they both began to leave the same way they always did with Hinata. The journey back to their house was somber and it truly did feel like a part of them was missing.

'I'll always be there for her Kaa-chan. Please, watch over us.' Naruto closed his eyes as he slowly walked, he still felt like garbage over the events that transpired. Now he had to stay strong to protect what was important to him.

Kurama, despite the focus on Naruto's fragmented memories, smiled at Naruto's proclamation. No matter what hand Naruto gets dealt, he tries to make it work.

'_**Heh. Minato... Kushina... not a day goes by where I'm not impressed by your spawns attitude and drive.' **_Naruto may not remember Kurama fully for the time being, but one things for sure.

Naruto could never forget himself. Broken memories and odd circumstances meant nothing. His character and will were far too strong.

'_... __**Annoying brat.**__**Asking me about women's lumps of fat**_**.' **Internally Kurama realized Naruto never asked such questions during their partnership before. Watching a memory of Naruto fighting the snake girl, Kurama noticed how quickly their clothing was being shred. Almost as if a single attack could ruin an outfit and reveal skin.

'_**What a weird world...' **_

* * *

Hikage woke up in the late afternoon, having fell asleep in her usual position. That being on top of Naruto. She stretched her sore arms before looking to her partner. Naruto passed out the second they got home. It was up to her to strip him out of his dirty clothes, something she felt no embarrassment about. This left Naruto in just his boxers and Hikage chose to sleep in nothing.

Looking around their shared room, she gave a frown at her thoughts which were pertaining to how empty the house felt. There would be no Hinata screaming at them for breakfast or teasing them constantly. Hikage decided to put those negative thoughts away for the time being, she had to wake Naruto up to get answers.

Patting his whiskered face gently, Hikage began to wake him from his rather deep sleep. There was no mumbling or nightmares, so she thought it must have been a good rest. Sky blue eyes peered open to take in the view of Hikage sitting naked on top of his chest.

"Uh..." It didn't matter how groggy he was, the feeling of her being literally nude on top of him was waking his brain up. Among a certain other part... 'Where are my clothes?' Naruto questioned internally.

"You owe me answers." Her dull tone made him blink. Wetting his dry lips, he decided to inquire about their current state.

"Hikage-chan... Where are our clothes?" He knew he fell asleep with clothes on and usually she slept in at least a shirt or panties. This was way different. He wouldn't complain, but it was certainly new.

"Dirty. I took your clothes off since you fell asleep while I was in the bathroom. Why?" She was basically straddling him, sitting on his abdomen without a care in the world.

Naruto ignored the feeling of certain anatomy of Hikage's pressing against him, as he prayed she wouldn't turn around and notice his situation. 'It's her fault dammit!' He screamed internally. Naruto focused on Hikage's eyes, doing his best to not look at her chest that was fully exposed.

"Um... You've never been on top of me fully naked before... so..." It was new to him, and luckily Hikage was just as clueless.

"Does it bother you?" Her question was included with her usual curious head tilt.

"No. It's just different...?"

"Good. Now that I know it doesn't bother you, I'll do it more often." Hikage did enjoy the way Naruto's face lit up with embarrassment. She continued shortly after watching him for a couple seconds. "Now. Why are you spacing out recently? What was that red stuff? What about that tattoo?" Her rapid fire questions made him stare blankly at her.

"Oh. You always did ask a lot of questions ya know? Remember when we first met? You kept asking me-" He was cut off by Hikage's hand covering his mouth.

"Stop. Don't try to change the subject." Removing her hand slightly, Naruto let out a small sigh.

"Fine... promise you'll believe me Hebi-chan? Nothing I'm going to tell you will make much sense, but it's all true." Hearing how serious he was, Hikage slowly nodded. She knew she'd believe anything he said, Naruto never lied to her.

"I won't answer your questions in order but... the "tattoo" is actually a seal of sorts. I'm not quite sure how it works or who put it there yet, but I'll find out." Naruto knew he had to contact Kurama again.

"A seal?" Hikage was rightfully confused.

"Yeah. It contains..." He paused to scratch at his cheek thoughtfully. "... a giant fox that's inside me...?" Naruto watched as Hikage's expression went from curiosity, to dull disbelief.

"A fox. Inside of you? Naru..."

"Hikage-chan I'm not making it up! It sounds ridiculous, but it's true! The fox is named Kurama! That's how I was able to use that red energy, which is called chakra by the way, to fight that bastard and break his barrier." Hikage leaned back on top of Naruto as she listened to his words. It did sound insane, but Naruto doesn't lie, and after seeing some crazy shit in the past day, Hikage was beginning to accept everything.

"...Okay. And this fox... Kurama. This is why you're spacing out?"

"Well yeah? I'm talking to Kurama in my head usually." Naruto admittedly felt embarrassed over explaining this, it sounded silly.

"Can I meet Kurama?" Despite the absurdity, Hikage believed him. She still wanted to see this so called giant fox with her own eyes.

"Um. Probably? Not right now though, Kurama is busy looking at my memories."

"Why?"

It was time to drop the truth that even he struggled to believe. "Hikage-chan, Kurama said that I'm not from here." Naruto watched nervously as Hikage blinked.

"..." Her silence was evident of her confusion.

"Apparently... I'm not from this... world? Or time? Whatever. I know how ridiculous this sounds, but Kurama even said I was a shinobi before! That's why I can use chakra." Those yellow eyes were lost completely.

"Not... from here?" Hikage said slowly.

"Yeah. I don't remember how I got here then, though I believe Kurama. The fox even said... we probably would have never met." Blue eyes took in the sight of Hikage's obvious discomfort at his words. The look on her face changed, she didn't like those words.

"You were a shinobi in a different world and weren't supposed to meet me." The words sounded foreign coming out of her mouth. 'Probably would have never met.' That hurt her a lot. Naruto was everything to her.

Hikage was surprised by Naruto sitting up completely in bed, grabbing her for a fierce hug.

"Hikage. I don't care about the circumstances behind why I'm here right now. Meeting you and Kaa-chan, I've never been happier. I love you." His smile and words made Hikage's tense body relax in his arms. Both ignoring their state of dress for the time being.

"I love you too, Naru." Hikage unconsciously pressed her bust tighter against Naruto's bare chest. "... A shinobi huh? Were you an evil shinobi like Suzune-sensei?" It didn't matter either way to Hikage, she was just curious.

"I'm not really sure Hikage-chan. I still have to ask Kurama a lot of questions. Once I find out everything, you'll be the first to know." He released his grip, ending their hug.

"I believe you, even if it does sound crazy. When has anything been normal for us Naru?" She was right, their little family of three was never normal in the least.

Naruto was about to open his mouth to speak when the sound of their door opening grabbed their attention. Springing up quickly, Naruto grabbed the discarded trench knives and got into a stance. Clad only in his boxers.

Rin stood in the doorway, eyeing the two practically naked occupants. 'Why, why, why? First Haruka, now two horny teenagers?' She cursed her fate.

"Eh? Suzune-sensei? What are you doing here?" Naruto lowered his knives, easing up on his instinctual battle stance.

The shinobi looked her future student in the eyes. "I told you both. I would come to collect you later. It's been six hours. Pack whatever you wish, you'll be staying in the dormitories for the time being." Rin watched as Hikage shamelessly got up and began searching for clean clothes. What was it with teenagers today? Rin wasn't one for modesty, but she never would do this around a boy. Not unless it was... well...

Shaking her head, Rin let her eyes go over her students again. She cleared her throat before speaking to Naruto once more. "Also... next time you take up a defensive stance, make sure your body is not reacting to anything." With those words she left the doorway and returned to the living room of the home, uncaring that she basically let herself in.

"Reacting to anything?" Blinking in confusion, Naruto looked down and deadpanned at his issue.

"..."

The sound of shuffling around was made from Hikage collecting and packing clothes.

'**Sometimes I regret being able to see through your own eyes brat.' **The deep voice carried through his head. '**You were going to fight an intruder while being sexually aroused? You're hilarious.' **The bijuu gave a small laugh, sensing Naruto's embarrassment from the seal.

'... It's Hikage's fault.'

'**That doesn't make it less funny.'**

'Shut up, Kurama.'

* * *

Having packed up whatever they were bringing in bags, Naruto and Hikage headed downstairs. Fully dressed now. Naruto wearing a tight button up black shirt, exposing the necklace Hikage gifted him and his already compact muscles. Khaki pants adorned his lower body. They weren't ideal for fighting, he much preferred something looser, but he wasn't planning on picking a fight in these clothes. Completing the simple look was a black pair of sturdy boots.

Hikage's outfit was also quite simple. She wore a long tight red sweater coming down to her thighs which hid a pair of denim short shorts underneath. Thigh high black socks covered by a pair of high brown boots. The outfit showed off her developing body well.

Rin stood up from her seated position on the couch and folded her arms under her huge chest, making them appear even larger. She eyed their forms again before a questioning look appeared on her face.

"Where's your weapons?" Her questions was met with Hikage hiking up her long sweater slightly. Exposing her thigh, Hikage reached to the top of her high boots to grab Hinata's knife. She hid her weapons the same way her late mother did. Rin nodded before looking to the blond boy. He rubbed the back of neck awkwardly.

"I can't fit my trench knives up my pants sorry Suzune-sensei. They are in my bag." She deadpanned at his answer before shaking her head.

"It's fine, once we begin your lessons, you will learn to either store them in a scroll or find a sheathe you can attach to yourself." Naruto nodded at her response.

"Suzune-sensei? How does storing something in a scroll work? It looked like magic." Surprisingly, Hikage questioned her. Ruby eyes looked towards yellow.

"Shinobi utilize a special kind of spiritual energy. It's been around far longer than any of us have. This energy is used for various techniques or storage as you've seen with my own scroll. While a shinobi's body must be trained to the peak physically, mental strength is important to incorporate our techniques into combat." Seeing the kids following her so far, Rin continued her impromptu lecture. "Each shinobi has a different style when it comes to combat, but they all learn basics the same way. Eventually you will learn of _Shinobi Tenshin_, a transformation which will aid you in increasing your output of energy and massively increases your power in battle." She waited patiently for them to take it all in, waiting for questions.

"Sensei. Is this energy called chakra?" Naruto asked her with confusion clear in his voice.

"Chakra...? Not exactly. We consider it both Yin and Yang spiritual energy. The two sides of energy are used for different techniques." She narrowed her eyes in thought.

'**Hah. Chakra is way better than this nonsense.' **Even Kurama was listening in on this conversation intently. Naruto withheld agreeing with the bijuu, he didn't know what this yin and yang energy was capable of yet. He's only seen that weird barrier thing.

"If that's all for now, I suggest heading out. I want to familiarize you both with the school campus and your new classmate. As I said before, you will all be starting in the same year." Seeing that neither disagreed with her, she headed towards the entrance of their home.

Naruto grabbed Hikage's hand as they both looked around Hinata's house. They would miss everything about being here everyday, but Hinata would never want them to sulk around depressed. That wasn't how she was. Hikage squeezed Naruto's hand, signaling that they should get moving and follow Suzune-sensei.

As they made their trek in the red light district of Kabukichō, it was a quick train ride away from the main city of Shinjuku.

"I still can't believe the school is right in the middle of the city Suzune-sensei." Naruto commented as they walked the busy streets of the large city.

"Hebijo is a shinobi school, and most would expect a hidden factor when it comes to location. What better place than in plain sight?" She sounded back to Naruto as she expertly navigated around the crowds.

"What if people figured out what it actually is?" Hikage asked, clutching Naruto's hand tightly.

"Worst case scenario, a barrier can be erected to fool the general populace. However, as the school is located in the castle keep ruins, tourists flock to the area outside. Other shinobi are less likely to find a blatant attraction to be suspicious." Rin gave her answer with a serious tone. Hebijo was rather large, yet nobody was none the wiser. The stronghold was in the most obvious place in the city, and in the years of its establishment, its yet to be exposed.

The group fell into a silence, continuing on their way to the school grounds. Naruto and Hikage saw the castle-like school in the early morning, but now getting a proper look it was quite the sight.

Naruto whistled lowly "Wow. This is impressive." The design of the castle keep was extravagant and rich looking. Not something he'd expect from shinobi, and certainly not what came to mind when hearing the word "ruins".

'**Typical. Rich individuals flaunting their wealth, even when it involves something like shinobi it needs to be grand.' **Kurama said to Naruto, voicing disapproval over the structure.

'Huh? It looks nice though doesn't it Kurama?'

'**I suppose... as if the building matters. Let's see if these so called shinobi are worth more than a single tail of my chakra.' **The tailed beast finished the sentence with rightful cockiness.

'Alright alright. Not everyone can be a gigantic chakra fox.'

'**Damn right.' **

"Naruto." Snapping his head to the side, he looked to Hikage who had her face scrunched up in confusion.

"Kurama?" The girl questioned. At Naruto's affirmative shake of the head to her question, she gave her own nod.

Rin rose an eyebrow again, these two... something was up. She'd find out in time she's sure, they'll be seeing a lot of each other. She began speaking to break their attention from each other.

"We will head around the back, until you both are confident enough in your stealth to sneak through the front." Entering the front of a shinobi school could be dangerous for any individual. The politicians and powerful figures behind the scenes paid good money for protection.

Naruto and Hikage received a small tour of the school grounds as Rin walked them through it. North, South, East and West entrances held different facilities for the school. Whether that be training grounds, classrooms, dorms, or even a cafeteria. All of this was hidden within the large amount of land the ruins encompassed.

"Here is where you'll be meeting your fellow classmate." Rin gestured to the large set of red doors. "It's a simple training room, I've instructed her to wait there until I returned and showed you all where you'll be staying." Without waiting for a response, Rin opened the large doors easily. Walking in with the two on her heels, she looked around the large room.

'Where is she?' Were Rin's first thoughts before she saw it out of the corner of her eye. The damn girl was making this a pain in the ass too it seemed. She watched as Haruka, clad in a mask, jumped from the rafters of the ceiling onto a seemingly unsuspecting Naruto.

* * *

Walking into the room with Rin, Naruto eyed the training room with a critical eye. There were weights, practice dummies and a hell of a lot of weapons thrown about.

'**Naruto.' **Kurama growled out. **'Watch above you, someone's trying to get the drop on you, I sense them from here.'** The tailed beasts emotion sensing was in full effect.

'Got it. Thanks, Kurama.' Naruto's eyes turned cold as he moved slightly away from Hikage, bracing for a fight.

'Damn it! Not with my nice clothes too!' He cried out mentally over the misfortune.

That's when he heard it, the slight movement of wood creaking from above and a body was coming towards him. Tensing his arms, he raised his head the second he felt them get closer.

Grabbing the arm that was extended with a ...wooden... weapon, Naruto blinked as he held it tightly. The person attacking him was wearing a blank white mask, no discernible features besides the curled blonde hair.

Curled blonde hair? Where's he seen that before? His mental questioning was cut short as he felt the arm he was holding go limp.

"Haruka!" Suzune-sensei called out with a cold tone. "What is the meaning of this?" Naruto's eyes widened considerably while Hikage's narrowed dangerously. That name.

The masked girl was seemingly frozen in place. The wooden kunai fell flat to the ground. Naruto felt her stare on his face through the eye holes of that blank mask.

"Na...ruto...?" The blonde girl's arms fell to her sides as Naruto released her quickly. Her shaky hands came up to remove the mask from her face. The face underneath was what made Naruto shocked. Haruka. The same green eyes and soft doll like features. Admittedly she was beautiful, he idly noticed the missing pink bow in her hair.

'**Naruto...'** Kurama began but Naruto wasn't listening. He was distracted by seeing the friend that he thought he lost. Where'd she go? Why'd she never answer the door when he was waiting outside? Was it his fault?! It's been years but considering his list of friends was countable on one hand, it meant a lot.

"Haruka? What're you doing here?" The girls shocked face morphed into a genuine smile as she looked at the handsome boy. Her eyes searched everywhere quickly, his facial features and body.

"I can ask you the same question Naruto..." Her voice was quite different, and Naruto supposed it made sense. They were older now.

'**...Naruto...' **Kurama called to him again, only to be ignored.

"Um... to be a shinobi of course! Why else haha..." It felt really awkward right now.

Before Haruka could speak, Rin cut them off fast. "What's the meaning of you attacking them right now?" Now normally Rin wouldn't care, evil shinobi tended to have "accidents" around school but considering they all caught the attention of a major benefactor, a certain degree of caution had to be taken.

'**Naruto!' **At Kurama's shout, Naruto's eyes widened as he felt movement from his left. Hikage moved into action fast, crossing the short distance to Haruka in a split second. Hand drawing her mother's knife, Hikage pinned her to the ground. Haruka's eyes were widened in shock over what just transpired.

The snake eyed girl said nothing as she held her position over Haruka, knife ready to stab. Naruto's mouth hung open at her actions.

'**Dumbass. Next time listen to me. All I felt was contempt from your little girlfriend.' **Kurama grumbled to the shocked Naruto.

"Hikage. Remove yourself from her now. Haruka. I want an explanation." Suzune-sensei's stance and words put everyone on edge.

Hikage looked into Haruka's green eyes with her own emotionless expression before getting up quickly and returning to Naruto's side. She slid the knife back into its makeshift sheathe of her boot and leaned on Naruto's frame. Hikage's body almost coiling against his own.

Haruka blinked her shock away before standing up and glaring with hatred at the green haired girl. Naruto watched her face go through a mixture of emotions as she turned to Suzune.

"Suzune-sensei, I apologize. I wished to test the new students. I did not mean to overstep my boundaries." The girl bowed low, her already large chest jiggling with the motion. Her outfit consisting of a tight yellow sweater, almost too tight and a surprisingly tame pink skirt. 'Wow she... she grew.' Naruto averted his eyes quickly.

'**Oh, by the sage...' **

"See to it that you don't do it again. I'm the one who will be testing others. Not you." The girl nodded her head, understanding as she raised from her bow. Haruka's eyes searched out Naruto's. The green eyes bore into his own deeply. Her face lit up in a very small blush. Naruto held back a wince at feeling Hikage's grip become painful.

"Good. Now then, you three will probably be placed into the same first year classes. Get acquainted and I'll be back shortly to lead you to the dorms. You will all be in the same section of the dorms." Haruka's face lit up even more at Rin's words. Hikage's darkened considerably.

The clicking of Rin's heels as she exited the room signaled the three teens to have a small stare off. Hikage drilling holes into Haruka's head, Naruto squinting his eyes in slight pain over Hikage's hold and Haruka looked very pleased.

"Naruto-kun... before I ask about why you and... _her _are here, I want to apologize." Haruka's expression changed to one of guilt. "I'm sorry for attacking you today, but more importantly for not showing up to play anymore. It was... my families decision. I tried every day, I just couldn't. Please forgive me."

Naruto eyed the pretty girl, searching for any sign of a lie. Yes, it was childish, but it hurt him a lot to find out she wouldn't meet up with him anymore. It felt like he did something wrong, and for months he blamed himself. Hikage broke him out of that funk, as she hated seeing him upset.

'**She's being genuine.' **Naruto mentally thanked Kurama, before giving Haruka a small smile. No matter the size of that smile, the blush on Haruka's face was amplified.

"It's alright. I thought it was my fault for a while. I'm glad to know you still wanted to be friends. We are friends right...?" He used the arm that was free of Hikage's grip to scratch at his neck.

"Of course, Naruto-kun! We can even... go on the swings whenever we can if that's okay with you?" Hikage narrowed her eyes, before channeling some of her inner Hinata and giving a rude response.

"Oh? How old are you? Asking him to go on the swings..." The emotionless voice was tinged with sarcasm. Haruka narrowed her eyes hatefully at Hikage.

"Nobody asked for your opinion. This is between me and Naruto-kun."

"Yeah yeah, _doll_ _girl_." At Hikage's words, Haruka's fingers tightened into a fist. The blonde girl gave a chilling smile towards the green haired one.

"Ara ara. Want to repeat that? _Snake slut_?"

Naruto seeing a fight was about to break out, hugged Hikage to himself, missing the hurt expression on Haruka's face.

"Girls. Please. We are going to be in the same classes, let's all get along." Seeing them both relax slightly at his words, Naruto sighed internally. Crisis averted.

'**For now, brat.' **

'Were you always such a smartass?' The fox didn't give a response.

"Only because you asked Naruto-kun. I have to ask though, you do know this is an all-girls academy right?" Haruka wouldn't complain, but she wondered how he felt.

"I know. I can already tell these girls won't enjoy that." Naruto dreaded the classes. Hell, he's never even been in a real school! How is he going to even know what the hell he's doing?!

"If you need help with classes or anything, I'll always be there for you." Haruka genuinely wanted to help her only friend.

Naruto gave a grin at her words, appreciating her offer. "Thanks, Haruka-chan. I'll count on you then." Kurama decided to be silent at the brewing emotions it felt from the girl that claimed to be "emotionless". Oh well, Naruto would have an issue to deal with in the future, not Kurama.

"How'd you both end up coming here though? If I remember you were both with..." Haruka paused, pushing her breasts up with her arms, seemingly thinking. "Hinata?" She noticed the expression on Naruto's and surprisingly Hikage's drop into one of sadness. She kicked herself mentally for the question.

"Kaa-chan... She passed away. Just yesterday actually... on my birthday." Naruto trailed off with sadness. He felt Hikage's hand holding his own and squeezed it thankfully.

"I'm sorry... for both of you..." Hikage blinked at her adversaries words. "She was a very nice woman from what I could remember. If it means anything... Happy belated birthday Naruto-kun." Haruka gave a strained smile.

"It's alright, you didn't know. Thanks, though Haruka-chan." He told her softly. "Suzune-sensei found us passed out and offered us a chance to be shinobi. Hebi-chan and I always liked shinobi, so we figured why not ya know?"

Haruka nodded her head, remembering Naruto playing and pretending to be a shinobi at the park four years ago. "I see. Well, I'm glad you're here." That statement was obviously only directed at Naruto, much to Hikage's hidden ire.

"What about you Haruka-chan? How'd you end up here?" Those blue eyes looked so innocent that Haruka felt she should tell the truth.

She couldn't.

"Suzune-sensei took an interest in me one day and consulted my... parents with the opportunity and here I am!" Haruka gave a big fake smile.

'_**She's definitely lying... I won't tell Naruto. I'll let him figure it out on his own' **_Kurama didn't want Naruto to depend on the emotional sensing completely. Besides, the bijuu sensed no bad intentions towards Naruto so it must be a personal reason.

"Nice, you must be pretty skilled then. Maybe we can spar one day!" Hikage bit her lip slightly at Naruto's words. Sparring was their thing. She didn't want this doll to take that away.

"I'll take you on any day... Naruto-kun." The words were actually said with quite a suggestive undertone. Obviously, Naruto didn't pick up on it.

"Great!" Haruka's face twitched at his obliviousness.

Rin entered the room again, her teaching outfit looking crisp and proper, despite the insane amount of cleavage.

"I hope for your sake that you all calmed down. Now follow me. I'll lead you to the rooms." The three shinobi to be followed her lead away from the training room. Haruka's eyes narrowed on the held hands of her fellow students.

Heading to the east gate was the dormitory, yet again another large building. This time there were presumably students around. All female. The girls from various ages and sizes eyed the teacher and group of teens.

Mumbling went through the air as the shinobi's gossiped about the new students. They were shinobi in _training_, gossiping was still a part of their school life.

"Look at the blonde haired girl... her chest is huge!"

"The green haired one is ridiculous too! But her yellow eyes are creepy..."

"Is that... a boy? There's no way that's a girl..."

"Look at his muscles... I bet he can lift me up easily..."

"Lift you up? I bet he could-"

'Kurama! Are you hearing this?! What the hell is going on?!'

'**Yes... and? It's gossip, just ignore it.'**

Naruto and Kurama would have continued talking if not for the very muscled girl who licked her lips as she winked at Naruto. His face turned pale.

'K...Kurama. She's got more muscle than anyone I've seen before!'

'**... It's like that muscle head Raikage was reincarnated as a teenage girl...' **Even Kurama was shocked.

Naruto decided not to inquire about this "Raikage" for the time being, instead he increased his pace to stick close to Suzune.

"Well. This is it. The dormitories. I'll lead you three to the rooms. Naruto and Hikage will be sharing one. Haruka, your room is next door." Rin lead them inside, professionally ignoring all the teenage girls who stared or gawked at the three. Mostly because of Naruto.

"Um." Naruto swallowed nervously. "Do these rooms have showers in them?" At Rin's head shake, Naruto's blood ran cold.

"No. There's a community bath on your floor."

Hikage's eyes widened at the implication. "Naru can't shower with a bunch of girls." She told their teacher quickly. Haruka watched silently with a smirk.

"Why not? He will be on his best behavior I'm sure. This is a shinobi school, modesty has no place here. He'll learn to get past the embarrassment." She didn't see the point in being embarrassed over being naked, then again she's been at this for years. Rin briefly wondered what reactions the other students would have. 'Reo-sama's decision, not mine.' Shrugging to herself she continued the walk.

"Naru... I'll make sure nobody bothers us in the shower." Hikage told him quietly, making his mouth hang open again.

'She still wants to shower together?!' He grew irritated at Kurama's laugh.

"Here are the rooms." She showed them traditional looking Japanese sliding doors. Opening them, they were greeted to the sight of a rather spacious area. It held a sizable bed, desk, dresser, and proper lighting. It wasn't the most well equipped room, but again, they weren't going to be in their rooms constantly.

"Haruka, your room is to the direct left of this one. Naruto, Hikage, this is your room." She looked the three teens over. "Get situated before returning to the same training room you were previously in. You have an hour." With that she simply vanished. No longer in sight of civilians, she could freely use shinobi techniques.

"Naruto-kun are you okay being in a room with her? If you want... I'm sure we can stay together?" Hikage disliked the way Haruka worded that.

"Oh. No, it's okay Haruka-chan. Hebi-chan and I have lived together for a long time! Thanks for worrying though." He gave her a smile that she couldn't be mad at. "We'll see you in an hour Haruka-chan, we can all walk together if that's alright?" Seeing the blonde girls shy nod, he threw a wave over his shoulder as Hikage pulled him away.

Hikage pulled the doors shut with a slam. Turning to look blankly at Naruto, he tilted his head at her actions. Setting their bags down he watched Hikage. Her gaze narrowed, yellow eyes almost glowing.

"Hika-" She pounced on him suddenly. His back hit the floor quickly. Locking her lips to his own, he blushed when he felt her long tongue hitting against his lips. Opening his mouth, he lost the battle to Hikage quickly. The girl easily dominated the kiss with instincts and experience that she didn't even have.

Breaking the kiss with a trail of saliva connecting them, Naruto stared at the flushed yet emotionless face of his Hebi-chan.

"Wow. What was that for?"

"You're mine." She responded back so quickly. "That doll girl can't have you." Naruto was confused as to why she was bringing up Haruka. Before he realized it, Hinata always mentioned how jealous Hikage could get.

"Hebi-chan. Are you jealous?" Naruto teasingly questioned her. His response earned him a narrowed look as she gripped his hair and pushed her mouth onto his own again.

"You. Are. Mine. Naruto." Her dull tone was tinged with anger.

"Hikage-chan. You know I love you more than anything." He put her arms around her, pulling her down to him. "Stop being stupid, it's not like I could ever love more than one girl ya know." Hikage didn't respond to his last sentence, knowing Naruto was indeed a very loving person, the thought worried her slightly. He definitely _could_ do that. But, she knew what they had was special, nobody could take that away.

"I love you too. That's why you're mine. Nobody can have you but me."

"Hehe! You're jealous!" His chuckle was muffled when she slammed her lips onto his own for a third time.

'_**If my siblings were still here, I'd make a bet for my tails on these two not making it out of this room to meet with that woman.' **_Kurama thought with a tired expression. Never having seen Naruto doing something like this, Kurama settled its head down. Waiting for something interesting to happen.

'_**I refuse to watch two people do this to each other. It was bad enough with Kushina.'**_ Kurama hoped her son didn't inherit her habits. Why couldn't he be flaky like his father?

"Ah... Naruto..." Hikage moaned very quietly.

'_**Nope. Cutting the connection.'**_

The life of Kurama was a tough one.

* * *

Haruka waited patiently outside her room, looking at the door leading to Naruto's. She was in a good mood, something that she hasn't felt in a long time. Sure, exposing her father to the public and stopping her controlling mother were positives in her life. Having a friend though? That felt good.

'It doesn't hurt that he's so handsome...' She had a cute blush on her face.

The door opened and Haruka was greeted to the sight of a rather disheveled looking Naruto. His shirt wrinkled, hair a mess and she could have sworn his lips were bruised. Hikage on the other hand was adjusting the collar of her sweater, her green hair also in disarray.

'What the hell did they do in there?' Haruka thought to herself. 'Did they...' The previous blush on her face flared up as she began thinking about rather racy things involving Naruto.

The blond boy walked over to Haruka, giving her a small wave with the hand not attached to Hikage's. The snake eyed girl looked in her direction with disinterest, having stopped fiddling with the neck of sweater for the time being.

"Yo! Ready to go see Suzune-sensei, Haruka-chan?" Naruto eyed her flushed face with curiosity.

"Y-Yes. I'm ready." At her agreement, they made their way out of the dorms. Naruto did his best to ignore the whispers of the females on his floor. These girls were very vulgar it seemed, and forward.

'Hmm... I wonder if I can turn any of these foolish girls into my dolls. It'd be quite easy seeing how they are distracted by Naruto-kun.' Haruka wondered maliciously. The way she acted in front of Naruto wasn't fake, but she wasn't as pure as her appearance would lead people to believe.

Hikage kept a mental note of these girls faces and their comments. For no reason...

The walk to the training room was roughly five minutes away before the large red doors greeted them. Naruto gave a harsh push with his arms, cracking the door wide open.

Suzune-sensei watched from the middle of the room with a small frown at his rude actions. That wasn't what caught Naruto's attention though, it was the man standing next to her. He was dressed in a formal suit, stark white hair pushed back. He would paint the intimidating picture to anyone else, but Naruto merely looked him over with a serious expression.

"You three. This is Reo-sama, the principal of Hebijo Academy." At Rin's words she looked expectantly to the three future shinobi. Seeing as they just sized the man up, Rin's frown increased. "Bowing is the proper form of respect in this situation."

The man merely watched the interaction, not making any movements to give away if the teen's actions bothered him.

'I'm not bowing to this guy. The great Naruto bows to no one!' He yelled mentally. Naruto could practically feel Kurama's fanged grin in his head.

'**Hmph! As if the host of the Kyuubi would bow to such a man!'**

Seeing the teenagers staring blankly, Rin was displeased. She opted to scold them before Reo raised his hand slowly.

"I do not care if you don't wish to show me respect. However, when you represent Hebijo and take missions from clients in the future. You will show them proper respect. Understood?" The man's deep voice sent a chill down Haruka's spine. Hikage only tilted her head at him. Naruto on the other hand...

'Bowing to clients?! Hah! As if I need clients!'

'**... You definitely need those jackass. Don't mess this up.' **Well Kurama killed his mood. Naruto visibly deflated, causing confusion for the occupants in the room.

"... I'll take your silence as a yes. As... Suzune has said, I am the principal of this fine establishment. You three are going to be tested right now to determine placement." Reo paused, eyeing the three teen's. They didn't look like much to him, nothing like his daughter. However, Dōgen wanted this to happen, he had no choice. Any other student would start with only the basics, but apparently these kids could be advanced. 'Ridiculous...' Reo thought condescendingly.

"Alright! Are we fighting you old man?" Naruto's loud voice called out in the training room. Rin's eyebrow twitched, while the two younger girls looked amused. Reo merely sighed before glaring at the blond boy.

"No. Suzune, you've assigned them partners from my jurisdiction yes?" Reo was honestly looking forward to this for one reason.

"Yes Reo-sama. Your daughter will indeed be testing one of them."

That was his reason. While he couldn't be called a good father, certainly not after his wife's awful death, he still cared for Miyabi's skill. As cold as she was now, he still held pride for her power. He gave a curt nod to Suzune who signaled once with her hand as three individuals dropped from the ceiling.

Naruto's face turned white as a ghost at one of the girls. 'No! Kurama! Help!' The fox was too busy laughing to care.

The girl was the same muscled one from before. Very tall and extremely fit, she was more intimidating to Naruto than the damn leader of the school! 'Her muscles have muscles Kurama!' This gave Kurama another round of laughter. The girl gave a smirk at Naruto, eyeing him hungrily.

The other two girls were seemingly more girlish. One of them had a rather boyish haircut. Shoulder length white hair, seemingly similar facial features to the principal and eyes that... actually reminded Naruto of his Hikage-chan. He tilted his head, watching her cold yellow eyes. He took in the rest of her appearance, the clothing was shared among all the girls with minor differences.

'That's the school uniform? Oh...oh... how the hell didn't I notice this before?!' Naruto willed his blush away with overwhelming will lower.

The white haired girl was very developed, he noticed her breasts seemed even bigger than Hikage's. Then again, this girl looked at least a few years older. Her black and red uniform was classic for schoolgirls, if not for the infinity symbol on the collar and how absurdly short it was. Naruto slightly noticed the black tight compression shorts she wore underneath, the skirt was _very _short.

Naruto moved his eyes to the next girl, light brown hair framed her cute face, albeit her forehead was quite large... Her green eyes were covered by a thin pair of glasses. She was just as voluptuous as the white haired girl, seeming about the same age. Her uniform lacked the shorts, revealing her long legs easily.

Fighting with himself to look at the next black haired girl, he broke out into a cold sweat. Her brown eyes didn't move from him the whole time. It wasn't that the girl was ugly... she was just very muscled. To an extreme. She could break a person in half with those arms alone. The uniform was tight and short on her body, making Naruto resist running and hiding.

Hikage and Haruka looked at the oddly nervous Naruto. His face looked paler and the sweat running down it made them slightly concerned.

"Naruto, Hikage, Haruka! These are your opponents! Introduce yourselves girls." The purple haired woman eyed the three new arrivals.

The bespectacled girl went first, replying with a flat voice, seemingly deeming this unimportant. "Imu. Third Year."

The white haired girl responded next, in a colder voice than even Suzune. "Miyabi... Third Year..." She locked her cold eyes onto Naruto, glaring at him for no particular reason.

Finally, the one Naruto dreaded. "Aiko! Third Year!" She winked at Naruto, who withheld a screech of fear.

'Kurama please please, did I know any techniques that can stop me from having to fight her?! She will break me in half!' He pleaded internally.

'**No, this is the most entertainment I've had in a while. I'm actually hoping you fight her.' **Kurama chuckled at Naruto's despair.

"The matches are to last for only a few minutes. Try to not go for death blows. This is a test, I expect good results you three." Rin moved with the principal to the sides of the room. "The matchups are... Hikage and Imu." The snake girl locked eyes with the uninterested visage of the glasses girl. "Naruto and..." 'Please please please please please please!' Naruto mentally chanted. "...Miyabi." 'YES! EAT THAT KURAMA!' Haruka and Aiko."

Kurama groaned out in disappointment, genuinely enjoying Naruto's fear over the big girl.

"Hikage, Imu. You may begin once the others step to the side."

Miyabi and the mountain of a girl moved quickly. Haruka paused for a second, before continuing to the edge of the room, waiting for Naruto.

"Hikage-chan good luck okay... you won't need it... but I love you got it?" Naruto whispered as he locked eyes with her. She gave him a very small smile.

"Love you too..." With that he turned and waited next to the now happy Haruka.

'You got this Hikage-chan... I believe in you.'

* * *

_Hikage vs Imu_

The girls eyed each other as they stood in the middle of the room. Imu pushed her glasses up suddenly before scoffing at her opponent.

"What a disappointment. This is what the first years look like?" Her condescending tone wasn't missed on Hikage.

"... Nice forehead..." Hikage replied flatly. Imu's eye twitched violently.

"What was that...?" She trailed off dangerously.

"I said nice forehead." Was this girl slow? Hikage hoped not. She wanted a good fight. She had to let out some pent up stress.

"Suzune-sensei! Please start the match!" The glasses wearing girl called out through gritted teeth.

"BEGIN!" Rin shouted loudly.

Hikage was off, her speed making some of the occupants in the room raise an eyebrow. Her special way of running also made Haruka stare. Imu kept her trained eyes focused on the girl who was bobbing and weaving as she tried approaching her fast.

Hikage attempted to go for a feint, deciding to attack from one of Imu's blind spots. She lashed out with a brutal fist.

"Extend!" Imu called out suddenly.

In just the few seconds it took Hikage to reach her, Imu withdrew a scroll and revealed a weapon. A long red and yellow staff. Her yell of extend made Hikage widen her eyes.

That's when she felt the pain in her stomach.

Hikage got sent back quite a bit, recognizing Naruto's concerned yell in the background. She eyed the now enlarged staff being wielded easily by Imu. The girl was smirking.

"Advantage!" Suzune-sensei yelled out.

Hikage glanced down, her sweater ripped up from just that attack. Her toned stomach becoming revealed as well as her very short denim jean shorts. She looked back up and felt her heart beating faster. She gave a small feral smile.

Imu was about to gloat over how weak these first years were, mostly to impress Miyabi, before she blinked once. 'W-what?!' Narrowly avoiding a very sickly looking knife, Imu jumped back barely in time. Her shirt being ripped as a result. Luckily it didn't stab into her. Grimacing at her military themed green bra being revealed, she narrowed her eyes to focus intently.

"Advantage!" The shinobi teacher called loudly.

Hikage sprang into action, dipping low to the ground and approaching Imu. Take a low swipe at Imu's legs, the girl was forced to jump to avoid the strike. However, Imu's been training for years, her counter with a rather fierce kick sent Hikage away a couple feet away, but it didn't deter the snake girl for long.

Using her experience from training with Hinata, Hikage knew a frontal assault wouldn't be effective without a distraction. Luckily she had some tricks up her sleeves. Tricks were knives in Hikage's case.

Imu waited in her preferred stance for Hikage's next move. The staff wielder kept one leg raised and placed slightly behind her, obviously more confident in her legs ability to counter when her staff cannot.

Her eyes widened behind the glasses when she noticed four black handled knives flying at her with incredible speeds. Dipping low, she crouched underneath, only to be surprised again by Hikage entering her personal space. The snake like girl had her long tongue slightly sticking out of her mouth as she went for a slash with her knife.

Imu tried reacting quickly with the staff, but Hikage spun around suddenly on the balls of her feet and slashed at her legs.

"Dammit!" Imu cursed loudly, feeling the knife cut into her leg. To her credit, she reacted quickly and tried bashing the staff into Hikage's side. The hit caught nothing but air as Hikage maneuvered around Imu. Sheathing her mother's knife fast, this time she went for a punch to the back of the girls head.

Right before it could make contact, another yell of "Extend!" caught Hikage off guard again. The staff flew out quickly, hitting Hikage in the knee. She let out a hiss but still attempted to go through with her punch.

Imu gripped the green haired girls fist tightly with her hand, noticing the wicked knife wasn't in her grip. She was about to crack her staff into the girl again when she noticed it, a knife extending out the girls other sleeve. Small but deadly, pointing directly at her throat. Imu froze. Obviously she wasn't going all out, her shinobi transformation wasn't a factor for this test, but the fact that this girl got her off guard multiple times...

'It because Miyabi is watching!' Imu reasoned to herself, sparing a glance at the yellow eyes of the girl she admired.

"It's over! Hikage wins!" Rin was genuinely impressed by the performance. Hikage was fast, extremely so. Sure, Imu wasn't going all out, she didn't even use any shinobi arts, but that doesn't discredit Hikage's skill.

Meanwhile, Reo had a calculating look on his face, surprised by the outcome. 'How would Dōgen know about this...' The white haired man thought suspiciously.

"YEAH! GOOD JOB HEBI-CHAN! I knew you could do it!" Naruto cheered out, causing Miyabi to hold a glare to his face.

Hikage felt warm at Naruto's praise as she slid the knife up her sleeve. Withholding a wince at the pain in her knee, she looked to Imu. The glasses wearer was disappointed in herself for letting Hikage get the drop on her multiple times. She glared at Hikage from behind her glasses.

"Nice spar forehead..." Imu growled under her breathe at the insult.

"Don't get cocky new girl. The results would be way different if I wasn't holding back."

"Yeah yeah." Hikage began walking away, eyes focused on Naruto's beaming smile.

Haruka merely gave her a single nod out of respect? Hikage wasn't sure, nor did she care much. Naruto's praise was the only one that mattered to her.

"Next! Naruto vs Miyabi!"

Naruto gave both girls next to him a cheeky grin and a small salute. "Alright! I'll be back ladies, wish me luck!"

"Good luck Naruto-kun. I'm very _excited_ to see you fight." Haruka gave a strange smile to him.

"I'm excited to fight too!" Naruto called back. Haruka's eye twitched. She noticed Hikage didn't wish him good luck. Seeing the opportunity to call the girl out, Haruka took it.

"Oh? You don't want to wish him good luck?"

"He doesn't need it." Haruka merely hummed at the response, waiting to see if Hikage was right.

* * *

_Naruto vs Miyabi_

"The same rules apply. Don't forget to stray from death blows. You will begin on my shout." Suzune-sensei strictly told them.

Miybai narrowed her eyes at the younger teenager. She took in his features, he certainly looked different with those whisker marks and bright blue eyes. His muscle tone hinted at extensive training. Maybe this won't be a complete waste of time. She still continued to glare at him.

'Kurama, why's she glaring so much?'

'**I don't know. Her filthy attitude reminds me of the damn Uchiha. Don't screw around Naruto.' **The girl definitely looked trained, Kurama knew Naruto needed to focus since he was without chakra for the time being.

'Uchiha?'

'**... Later. Focus now.'**

Naruto shook his head to clear his mind before hearing Miyabi speak in her cold tone.

"Where's your weapon?" The girl had a sheathed katana held tightly in her grasp. The grip decorated with a red trim. Even through the sheathe, Naruto was on edge, that certainly looked dangerous.

"Ah! Well I kinda don't have anywhere to put my knives right now, so they are... back... in my room..." He finished slowly, watching as she let out a sigh.

"Never mind. This will be disappointing." Miyabi muttered lowly. Naruto put a smile on his face despite being pissed off at her words.

"You won't be saying that when I'm kicking your pretty ass all over the room!"

His comment was heard throughout the entire room. Most of the occupants looking incredulously at him. Hikage glared slightly.

Rin had enough, so with a shout of "Begin!" The two shot off towards each other.

Miyabi made the first move, swinging her sheathed blade out towards his legs, looking to literally sweep him off his feet. Naruto jumped over the intended strike easily, jumping forward to prepare a grapple like he'd do to Hikage.

The white haired girl was ready, keeping her stance firm, she back stepped and angled the swords sheathe to his chest. She struck violently, intending to push him back, just how Imu did with her staff.

Naruto wasn't having any of it, he leaned to the left slightly and grasped the sheathed blade. Her grip on it was firm, she wouldn't let him simply disarm her. 'Perfect...' Naruto could feel Kurama's dark grin too at his strategy.

Yanking the blade forward, Miyabi had a second to furrow her brow in confusion at his unorthodox actions., before his fist connected with her cheek harshly.

Miyabi's body and blade got sent flying back, the impact of the ground hitting her back made her wince slightly. That punch had a lot of power behind it...

"Advantage!" The teacher called out.

Naruto stood firm in an odd stance, it looked completely relaxed, but anyone in the room with a hint of fighting knowledge knew his body was tensed in preparation for Miyabi's next move.

The cold teenager stood and rubbed at her cheek, no doubt that would bruise. She kept her glare up before slowly removing the sheathe of her blade. The silver Katana metal gleamed dangerously in the light of the training room. Letting the sheathe drop to the floor, Miyabi was off before it could meet the floor.

Her speed momentarily surprised Naruto. 'She's faster than Hikage no doubt...' He tensed his leg muscles, preparing to move. A second later, Miyabi was on him, going for an overhead strike with her blade. The no death blow rule was completely disregarded now. He had to sidestep multiple times to avoid being stabbed by her vicious swings. They looked wild, but in truth they were executed perfectly.

'Dammit! I wish I had my trench knives to at least block right about now!' He lamented internally. Narrowly avoiding a slice towards his abdomen, it managed to slice into the fabric of his shirt. Easily ripping the material of the black button up. 'No! Not my nice clothes!' Kurama sweat dropped at Naruto's thoughts.

Miyabi began getting frustrated at seeing him dance away from her stabs, she grit her teeth even more before lunging at him, set to impale. Her right arm extended and pushed the blade forward.

That's when Naruto moved, with such skill and speed that Reo's face hardened on the sidelines. 'What is this boy...?'

Pivoting around Miyabi's extended arm, Naruto grabbed her wrist tightly, applying pressure that made her eyes widen in pain. The fact that his grip was this strong made her shocked. Her hand shook as she dropped the katana. She attempted to bring her left hand to land a blow on his unguarded face before Naruto swept her legs out from underneath her.

Miyabi was frozen the whole way down to the floor, noticing the intense blue eyes staring at her with a small smirk. His fist was aimed right at her face, held in place by his own will. She stared into his eyes for a few seconds, neither moving, before she went to reach into the shirt of her school uniform.

Rin on the sidelines, yelled out suddenly, stopping Miyabi's action. "It's over! Miyabi! Do not!" The white haired girl's glare was deadly, yet she relented and dropped her hand. Naruto was curious at the action. He looked over to the shell shocked Reo and Suzune-sensei.

"What was she going to do?" He remained in his position, crouched over Miyabi, doing his best to avoid looking at how her... huge breasts rose with her breathing.

'**... What happened to you Naruto?'**

Naruto ignored Kurama in favor of waiting for the purple haired teachers response.

"The scroll she holds is essential to her _Shinobi Tenshin_. It seems Miyabi was thinking of using it despite this being a simple spar." Suzune-sensei criticized her actions but watched her wording. After all, Reo was her father and leader for the time being.

Reo was watching the interaction silently. He wondered why he didn't feel angry over this. 'Perhaps because the boy wouldn't stand a chance if she transformed?' Reo knew of his daughters abilities, her black flames easily surpassing a lot of abilities both evil and good shinobi have. Sure, he was upset she lost, but perhaps she could take this as a lesson to never underestimate an opponent.

Imu and Akio were equally as stunned seeing Naruto pin down the best student of their year. Miyabi was well on her way to being an elite! She'd even be given a mission later on in the year alongside a Kagura, the strongest rank of shinobi, to test her on the field. Imu silently fumed, despising the blonde boy for daring to touch Miyabi in such a way.

Haruka blinked in astonishment a few times before looking to the bored Hikage.

"Told you."

Haruka had nothing to say to that.

Naruto got off of Miyabi and offered his hand down to her, a soft smile was on his face.

"Hey, that was a good spar! If it weren't for my dodging, you would have skewered me with that sword. That katana looks so cool by the way!" He let his hand hang there, waiting for her to take it.

She eyed his face and hand before scoffing and pushing herself up. Now standing, she went to grab her sheathe and discarded weapon before turning her back to Naruto and walking to where Imu was waiting.

Naruto scratched the back of his head in confusion. Was it something he said?

'**You made a fool out of her in front of her father. Don't worry, I'm proud.'** The tailed beast called to Naruto.

'I didn't want to make her upset Kurama, I just wanted to spar! And hey, she ruined my nice shirt!'

'**Whatever, just watch your back from now on, her eyes show she's the type to hold a grudge.' **Kurama paused before letting out a few laughs. **'Now we get to watch your new admirer fight.' **

'I hate you.'

Making his way to the girls, he gave them a thumbs up, receiving one back from Hikage.

Haruka nervously smiled. "Seems like you didn't need luck after all Naruto-kun?"

"She was strong Haruka-chan, I just caught her off guard is all. I do appreciate you wishing me luck though." His smile made her turn her face away. "Now um... please be careful against that girl. She's literally huge..." Naruto didn't want to insult her, even though she scared the shit out of him.

Hikage's mouth quirked up in amusement, watching as Haruka looked a bit worried. Channeling her mother's snarky personality again, Hikage responded. "Don't worry. It's a spar, she won't break you in half." Her words earned her a weak glare from Haruka.

Naruto leveled an amused stare at Hikage before scolding her lightly. "Hikage-chan, don't tease her. Good luck out there Haruka-chan, I believe in you too!" The blonde girl felt reinvigorated by his words as she made her way to the middle of the room.

* * *

_Haruka vs Akio_

The muscled teen stood waiting to Haruka to stand opposite of her before letting a rough grin cross her features. The blonde girl raised an eyebrow at her actions.

"Hey, you're friends with that cutie right?"

Haruka nodded her head slowly in confusion before the girl continued.

"When this is over, put in a good word for me okay? I'd love to take him for a ride sometime." Haruka blushed a bit at the older girls words, if they spoke any louder the whole room would hear them. At least that's what she thought...

'I hate this. Is everyone just horny?' Rin thought, looking up to the heavens. She sighed slowly before shouting out loudly once more. "BEGIN!"

Haruka immediately took up a defensive stance, getting more space from her opponent. The muscled girl gave an amused smile at her actions.

"I don't bite you know. Well..." She looked at Naruto from the corner of her eye. The boy broke out into a cold sweat.

Haruka decided to steel herself, the older girl was good at getting into her head and making her embarrassed.

"I guess if you won't come to me.." Akio took giant steps suddenly. "I'll come to you!" Her arms were stretched out the minute she got close, going for something akin to a bear hug, but more dangerous.

Haruka narrowly ducked the outstretched arms as a faint sound of glass shattering carried throughout the room. Akio paid it no mind, turning on her heel and attempting to grapple Haruka again.

Despite Haruka's large assets, she was quite nimble, avoiding the girl's grabs with some effort. Akio began to get annoyed. "Stop dodging and fight back!"

Haruka's face morphed into an evil smile, mentally counting the seconds in her head...

Her eyes widened when she watched Akio seemingly vanish and arms grip her midsection tightly. Haruka's arms were trapped in the hold, her legs began to kick out hopelessly.

"Nobody can escape my grab you know? These muscles aren't just for show." The arms were painfully tight, Haruka began to struggle to breath.

"Give in, don't embarrass yourself in front of that cutie." She revealed a vicious smirk befitting of an evil shinobi.

'Three ...' Haruka counted down, face set in a grimace.

The arms tightened even more, making her struggle pointless.

'... Two.' Gritting her teeth, she tried moving her arms to alleviate the pressure. Akio chuckled at her struggle.

"... One!" Haruka squeezed out painfully.

Akio was confused before she felt it, incredible fatigue. 'W-What!' Her arms slackened and her vision started to darken. 'Poison? When?' Haruka was released from the tight hold, breathing heavily. Her sweater flipped up slightly allowing everyone to see a belt full of vials. The vials were filled with all sorts of liquids and some looked empty.

"Da... Damn it..." Akio got out before her head hit the floor, unconscious.

"... Haruka wins..." Rin didn't even know why she was surprised over these matches. Naruto and Hikage had the skill or physical ability, while Haruka was malicious with her thinking. Using a potential chemical to knock out an opponent was something Rin didn't expect despite training her on and off for a while.

Reo merely sighed, all the third years lost to mere teenagers not even assigned classes yet. Pinching the bridge of his nose he looked over to Rin, waiting for her assessment so he could agree or refuse.

Rin eyed the blonde girl who held her ribs painfully, it seems that hold did more than she expected. Turning to Reo, she assessed the students. "Reo-sama, despite the third years holding out on using their full skills, these three exhibited skills that are beyond our regular students. Despite the length of the matches being rather short, it'd be... ill advised to put them through rudimentary courses." Rudimentary courses were for students who didn't even know the first thing about fighting.

Reo sighed for what felt like the hundredth time today before nodding slowly. "Yes, I suppose you're right. They'll still need to learn history and such, but for the time being." He looked the woman in her red eyes. "You will be their main teacher, until you find more students who are worthy of an elite such as yourself, only those three will be in your care." 'I hope Dōgen is alright with this choice...' He mentally fumed.

Rin bowed lowly, her bust threatening to pop out of her low cut shirt. "Understood Reo-sama." The man grunted at her response before looking to his still silent daughter and her friend.

"Miyabi." Her eyes searched for her father's quickly, noticing the strict tone. "Report to my office, bring Imu as well." The girl's looked at each other before eyeing the group of new students. They bowed to Reo and exited the area quickly.

"Suzune, make sure Akio is returned to her dorm after she's cleared of whatever poison or gas was used on her." The white haired man didn't wait for her to respond, rather he locked eyes with Naruto. His whiskered face scrunched in confusion, he didn't even get to ask what Reo wanted before the man disappeared.

Naruto shook his head before approaching Haruka. Hikage reluctantly followed.

"Great job Haruka-chan, that was so sneaky! Just like a shinobi ya know?! Are you alright?" He noticed her eyes were shutting in pain as she gave a crooked smile.

"Ah... I'm okay. She definitely bruised my ribs, but it was worth it in the end. Who knew odorless knockout gas could be so effective." She gave a chilling grin. "I definitely need a warm bath after that though, my body's sore." She looked to Naruto like a predator would to their prey.

"Before you all leave, I have to congratulate you on your wins. Don't get cocky though, these three girls were not using their transformations, severely limiting their capability. Besides Miyabi, the others also did not go for killing blows. I'll repeat it again, do not become arrogant over a simple spar." Rin lectured them, easily carrying the muscled girl in her arms. The three teens nodded to show they understood. "Good. Report back here tomorrow at eight in the morning. I'll tell you where you'll be placed." With those words, Rin was gone the same way as Reo.

"Phew! Well that was fun. Right girls?" Naruto looked at the two silent busty shinobi to be.

"... Pretty ass huh?" Hikage mumbled.

"Eh?"

"Ara ara. Why did you call Miyabi-san's ass pretty Naruto-kun." Haruka agreed with Hikage. She scanned his body with a strange smile.

"Why Naru?" Hikage's eyes practically glowed.

'...Kuram-'

'**No. You're on you're own here.' **The bijuu interrupted the plea.

'...Kaa-chan help me...' Naruto cried out as both Hikage and Haruka got close to him.

'_**Is it strange that I'd rather fight multiple Uchiha than deal with the absurdity of this world?' **_Kurama pondered mentally. Naruto's scream ran throughout his own mind.

'_**Feh, I doubt all these shinobi combined are even worth two tails of my glorious chakra!' **_Kurama boasted to itself, ignoring Naruto's plead for help. '_**I wonder what Gyūki would do in this world? Or Shukaku?'**_

Naruto wouldn't be receiving any help from Kurama for the time being.

* * *

**AN- **Lol, No Akio is not a character from Senran Kagura, I just wanted to add a bit of humor with an OC. She won't be important to the plot, she'll just scare Naruto a bit. But yeah that's chapter 7. They are officially at Hebijo now, Naruto will indeed meet more canon girls. Sorry if the fights were a bit short, but they were mere spars, there will be longer fights in the future.

There was a question about how losing his chakra messed with his memory. It wasn't lost at all, rather it's been dormant since he was literally reduced to a baby and flung into a different world. I know it sounds weird, but once he can synchronize with Kurama properly, he can view everything he's forgotten. Remember how in the war, Naruto's chakra was able to let everyone see his memories as a child and Sasuke was able to see everything after their fight.

As to what will happen when he regains his memories. Don't worry, he will struggle to grasp everything, and that's not for a while in the story. The bond he has with Hikage and all the future girls will not make him forget quickly and start yelling at Kurama that they need to return to fight Toneri. Who knows... maybe the elemental nations and Naruto's world is gone...? They'd have nothing to return to...hmmmmmmmm.


	8. Just Another Day At Hebijo

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

"Hanzo-sama." A rather smooth voice spoke to the back of a large leather chair. "I've come with a... special report." The man mulled over the word choice for a second.

"Hmm?" The occupant of the chair responded, staring out at the setting sun while occasionally smoking on a small pipe.

"It pertains to Hebijo, Hanzo-sama." The chair turned at the man's words, allowing the kneeled male to look at the one man he respects most.

Hanzo was a unique individual. His graying hair pulled into a high ponytail and long facial hair didn't distract from the obvious muscled form of his body. Various aging lines and scars adorned his face, making his appearance look almost battle hardened. Clad in a black and brown kimono, his arms were clearly seen, the muscle definition showing years of experience and training. His eyes, the same color as his hair, sought out the man's auburn ones as he smoked slowly on his pipe.

Releasing the pipe, he spoke in a voice that despite its age demanded respect. "Oh? What's 'Reo-sama' up to now, Kiriya?" He addressed the kneeling man, now known as Kiriya.

The man was wearing a rather sharp black suit, the picture perfect image of a distinguished gentleman. His hair color was shared with Hanzo's, yet instead of the older man's unique ponytail style, Kiriya's gray wavy hair was barely shoulder length. Despite being 40 years of age, Kiriya still appeared handsome with his chiseled facial features.

"Shinobi from Hanzo Academy were in Shinjuku returning from a mission when they claimed three figures were entering the old castle keep ruins..." Kiriya trailed off waiting to see if Hanzo picked up on the implication.

"I see, and did they figure out what those "ruins" actually were?" Hanzo asked with a small amused smile.

"No Hanzo-sama. They were put on edge considering the group entered through the back. As their mission was completed, they decided to scout for potential dangers to the public, yet when they approached the back of the ruins, they found nothing." Kiriya sternly replied.

"Good. It's better that they decided against pursuing their search." Hanzo leaned back and smoked the pipe, the small smile still on his face.

"May I speak freely Hanzo-sama?" Kiriya asked respectfully, watching as Hanzo motioned with a hand gesture, signaling "go ahead". Clearing his throat slightly, Kiriya continued.

"Despite you knowing the location of one evil shinobi school, you insist on doing nothing to potentially eliminate the threat?" Kiriya's voice was tinged with confusion.

"The threat huh?" Hanzo hummed to himself as Kiriya began speaking again.

"Would you consider bringing this up to the board of Hanzo Academy? To potentially prepare the students to destroy them from their roots?"

Hanzo sat up a bit straighter. "No." He firmly stated, auburn eyes blinked quickly at the fast answer. "I will not be informing the so called "higher ups" of the schools location."

"Why Hanzo-sama?" All Kiriya got in return was another smile.

"Yes... why indeed Kiriya." The younger gray haired main wrinkled his brow in confusion at the powerful shinobi's statement. "But do tell me about what group was entering? Perhaps some new beauties?" The old man's face morphed into a lecherous smile. Kiriya, used to the mans perverted attitude, shook his head much to Hanzo's confusion.

"There were indeed two females... yet a male was present. He was confirmed not to be Reo, in fact our shinobi claimed he was around the age of a student." Kiriya replied slowly.

"...A boy?" Male shinobi were quite obviously real, but Hebijo in all their hidden glory was an all girls academy. Numerous spies and reports over the years that directly spoke to Hanzo never mentioned a male besides the principal and investors.

"Yes Hanzo-sama. A third year reported his hair was 'blond as the sun and had... cute whisker markings on his face.'" Kiriya managed to say that seriously, Hanzo had to give him credit.

"This is very interesting you know..." Hanzo brought the pipe up to lips again. Kiriya watched in silence, waiting for the great shinobi to break the tension. "... A male in Hebijo. Never thought I'd live to see the day." Hanzo banged a fist on the desk suddenly, making a Kiriya tense his body slightly.

"Dammit... the little bastard is living my dream!" Hanzo cursed lowly. Kiriya closed his eyes with a sigh. The older man placed his back against the chair still mumbling curses. They suddenly ceased as a serious look took over his visage.

"Kiriya. That... sickly energy from the other night. You don't think that has anything to do with a potential unknown entering an all-girls academy?" Hanzo's intelligent gray eyes clashed with the other man's.

"I cannot say for sure Hanzo-sama. This boy was reported to be young, probably around the age of my two students. I doubt he was capable of producing energy comparably to Kagura level shinobi..."

Hanzo stroked his beard idly. This whole situation had him very interested, something this big hasn't come up in years. He looked at the picture of a young teenager on his desk, a cute brown haired girl who would only grow more beautiful. His granddaughter, Asuka.

"Well... I suppose we will have to wait and see what happens in the future. I feel like life is going to be a lot more interesting for these old bones, right Kiriya?"

"I suppose so Hanzo-sama."

Still eyeing the picture of his granddaughter, Hanzo spoke once more. "Asuka-chan will be in your care for the future Kiriya, she's my pride and joy you know?" The man's eyes were practically glowing. "Oh, she's looking more and more like her grandmother every day. My wife was quite the looker hehe!"

"O-Of course Hanzo-sama..." Kiriya watched as his idol questionably laughed. "Will that be all Hanzo-sama? The... higher ups need me for a meeting. Apparently it's to discuss the energy output from the other night." Hanzo waved the man off.

"Meh, go enjoy those boring old fools." Hanzo's eyes hardened. "Kiriya, I trust you never will disclose any information that we share in our meetings." He watched the gray haired man fiercely look up.

"Never, Hanzo-sama." The legendary shinobi smiled at Kiriya's response, despite the man's cold exterior and harshness towards other shinobi, he was loyal.

"Very well, you may leave." With another movement of his hand, Kiriya vanished. Hanzo swiveled in his chair, observing the setting sun from his comfortable position.

'Energy similar to a Yōma released in the middle of the night and now a teenage boy in an girls academy. Reo must be playing a dangerous game.' The old man placed his fist against his cheek. Closing his eyes, he suppressed more curses.

'Why the hell does this brat get to be around beautiful girls all day?!'

Hanzo was very jealous.

* * *

'**You know... I'm sure a lot of boys your age would jealous of your position right now.' **Kurama spoke, the deep voice ringing throughout Naruto's head.

'All I feel is embarrassed Kurama! I'm standing here in a towel and all these girls are... staring!' Naruto gulped as his blue eyes searched the community bath. It was a spacious room, luckily there were showers located in the back, meaning he wouldn't have to sit directly in with the girls to bathe.

Hikage stood very close next to Naruto, her own white towel pulled against her pale body. She glared slightly at the other occupants of the room. She did not like this.

Haruka looked radiant. Smiling without a care in the world, her body already on full display. She didn't care about the other girls, her focus was on Naruto, who had his towel wrapped around his waist. She liked what she was seeing, especially the strange tattoo.

"Naru. Let's go to the showers now." Hikage sternly told him. As sternly as one could be with Hikage's bored voice. She was no longer upset about Naruto calling another girls ass "pretty", she had more important things to worry about. For example, all these girls staring at Naruto like he was a piece of meat.

Naruto looked at Hikage, nodding his head rapidly. Every girl in the room was locked onto him, various emotions in their eyes. Confusion and wonder were equally present. And...

'**... Lust.'** Well Kurama wasn't wrong. **'Seems these all girl shinobi schools have a big downfall huh? You'd think they'd be prepared for a male, they have no issue showing their pathetic bodies to their own gender.' **Kurama couldn't understand the mind of females, let alone teenagers. The bijuu didn't care to try either.

Naruto didn't respond, instead he kept his gaze on Hikage's eyes. He tried looking to Haruka, but her naked state made him turn quickly.

"Naruto-kun? Would you like to wash my back? I'll return the favor of course." Haruka stood in front of him now with her hands on her hips. Her head tilt curiously in a pose that she deemed cute. The question wasn't fully sexual surprisingly, she read a lot of books when she was home. Apparently friends helped each other with things like this... they were questionable books.

Naruto gave her a weak smile as he felt Hikage begin to pull on his hand. Kurama snickered in his mind, sensing the green haired girls jealousy. "Sorry Haruka-chan. Maybe some other time?" That was the wrong response as Hikage gave a rather vicious tug of his hand, almost making him lose his balance in the slippery room.

"Hikage-chan wait!" Naruto felt his face contort in fear. His towel. He felt cold.

'**... You provide far more entertainment for me than any shinobi war could.' **The snarky comment was unwarranted.

Naruto grabbed Hikage and kicked it into high gear, jumping to the showers while holding her to the front of his body. She blinked owlishly at his actions. He ignored the cat calls and whistles from the other girls in the room, he didn't even want to see Haruka's reaction.

If he looked back he would see the bright red blush on Haruka's face and the tint of something... dangerous in her eyes.

Getting into an average sized shower stall, Naruto made sure to press his back against the wall, Hikage now standing in front of him silently. She ran her eyes over his form, watching him shiver in fear. Tracing her eyes down his chest she rose an eyebrow at the lack of towel before narrowing them dangerously.

"Did they... see it?" Her voice had an edge to it.

Naruto shook his head slowly. "No. I used you for cover. I hope." Hikage nodded her head approvingly.

"Good. I'd have to kill all those girls if they did." With that she began to turn the shower on, turning away from Naruto. The whiskered boy looked shocked at her words.

"H-Hebi-chan. That's a joke right? Haha?"

"Haha." Hikage responded back with absolutely no feeling. Naruto looked up at the tiled ceiling, listening to the running water and chatter of the girls.

'Kurama. Did I have to deal with this before?'

'**No. If it makes you feel better, your first kiss was with a boy.' **Kurama couldn't hold the grin back at Naruto's shout of despair.

* * *

The whole situation with the community bath was over, at least for _today_. After they bathed, Haruka joined Hikage and Naruto to grab dinner at the schools main cafeteria. Many insults and barbs were exchanged between the girls and it wasn't long before they bid Haruka goodnight. Well Naruto did, Hikage just stared at her. Getting into their shared bed, Hikage fell asleep before him, passed out on top of him. She did mention being sore in the shower. Probably from the hits she took from Imu's staff.

'**Naruto. We need to talk.' **The fox's voice rumbled to him.

'I know Kurama, I have a ton of questions.' Closing his eyes, Naruto felt a pull before he felt like he was falling.

"Dammit Kurama..." Naruto whined as he laid on his back in ankle deep water. He was back in the seal.

"**Heh." **Naruto looked up to eye the huge fox sitting in front of him. Red eyes lit up the damp corridor. **"It took me a while, but I was able to sort through your memories here." **Kurama said, leaning closer to Naruto.

Raising an eyebrow, Naruto sat on the somewhat cold ground, waiting patiently for Kurama to continue. When the fox continued to eye him, Naruto felt like he was being judged.

"... And? What about them?" Kurama leaned back at his question.

"**You're weak." **The reply was blunt and made Naruto's right eye twitch in irritation. **"You were able to take me on, the greatest of all bijuu, with that damned "toad mode" but now you can't even summon your own chakra. That needs to change." **Kurama eyed it's Jinchūriki, knowing Naruto was insulted by the claim.

"Wait... 'toad mode'? Did I like... turn into a toad." Naruto's face turned slightly green at the thought. Yeah, toads were cool and all be he didn't want to be one!

Kurama eyed him with amusement before shaking its large head in the negative. **"No. It was another power of yours. Taking in natural energy from the world around you and mixing it with your own chakra resulted in something... quite powerful." **Kurama didn't enjoy complimenting the toads on anything. Why would Naruto need stupid toad senjutsu? He had the strongest bijuu!

"When I use my chakra, can I use this toad mode?" Naruto looked a bit excited. If he was able to defeat Kurama with that, who could stop him?

"**Two things brat. One, we can't call it toad mode, it may be funny but that sounds stupid. It's proper name is "Sage Mode". Two, don't get excited. I have some bad news about the natural energy here, but back to my main point." **Kurama pointed it's large hand directly at Naruto. **"We need you to start using chakra. Being dormant for so long, and you lacking previous knowledge... I fear for your chakra control." **It made Kurama uneasy. All these years without using it actively wasn't something the bijuu had experience with. After all, Kurama is a mass of chakra.

"It's not my fault I haven't used it ya know? I had no idea you even existed until I woke up here." Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, Hikage's necklace swinging with his movement.

"**I know. I can't blame you, we both don't know about what circumstances brought us here. I'm beginning to think we never will..." **Kurama growled out. Naruto looked a bit worried at the tailed beasts words.

"Hey Kurama. Do you want to... return to wherever we came from?" Blue eyes bore into red.

"**... You are my partner Naruto. You're the first person besides my father that I've given a damn about. I'll stick with you until the end." **Kurama watched as Naruto gave a bashful smile, rubbing at the back of his neck. '_**It's not about what I want brat... once you remember that Ōtsutsuki... I don't know what you'll do.' **_The Kyuubi knew Naruto was already attached to this world, specifically the snake girl but...

"It's so cool that my partner is a gigantic fox! You're an asshole, but you do look cool Kurama!" Naruto had a mischievous grin cross his features.

Kurama snorted, abandoning any negative thoughts. **"Whatever. Now before you ask me more questions, we need to start on getting you used to chakra again." **The beasts tone became serious.** "Meditation will be key here. Do not complain Naruto, I want you to start by trying to pull out your chakra. This will all be done in the seal until your confident enough to not burst a huge amount out and alert every shinobi in the world." **Kurama knew how potent Naruto's chakra was. Chakra was usually not visible to the naked eye, but his was. Even when Naruto was young, he was able to push large amounts through his body.

Naruto's face was also considerably more serious now. "Alright. Kaa-chan showed me how to meditate despite her... unique comments on it. What am I searching for?" Kurama closed its eyes seemingly in thought, but in reality the tailed beast was sorting through Naruto's older memories. Kurama never needed to unlock chakra, so the process was reliant on Naruto's past.

"**I know you've felt **_**something **_**flowing** **throughout your body at times Naruto. Sit still and focus on dragging that to the surface. Focus on pushing it towards your seal, it will make the process easier if I can interfere with your own chakra." **In the past, Kurama would have longed for the opportunity to interfere with Naruto's chakra. _**'Just like when I messed with the old toad trying to synchronize with him.' **_Now, the bijuu's priority was helping it's only true friend. **"Sit the same way I do, you won't be able to draw in natural energy, but it should feel familiar to you." **Kurama mimicked the form Naruto would take when focusing on his senjutsu. Eyeing the bijuu curiously, Naruto copied it's actions fluidly.

Relaxing his body, Naruto focused intensely. Banishing thoughts from his mind that didn't pertain to sorting out his chakra. Inhaling and exhaling with perfect precision, Kurama eyed the boy. Despite becoming younger and weaker in a sense, Naruto's body was still engraved with the knowledge of his past. Pure instincts and muscle memory were crucial, but Kurama wanted him to understand what he was doing, and to not simply win every fight by instinct alone.

The bijuu rested its head on the ground, gaze locked onto Naruto's relaxed body. Kurama eyed the necklace around his neck. _**'I can't help but feel bad for the Hyūga. She must have been cursed with bad luck, poor girl.' **_It was true, Kurama was aware of its hosts struggle with emotions towards Hinata. In the end though, it seems that wasn't meant to be. Kurama had no idea if they were in the same world, different time or dimension. The bijuu felt the other tailed beasts chakra still clinging to Naruto's, though Kurama was unable to sense them fully. It was like they didn't exist. Sighing internally, Kurama continued to watch Naruto, hoping for positive results.

For what felt like an eternity to the tailed beast, Kurama sat and observed. The only sound was from their combined breathing. That's when Naruto's face tightened, he opened his mouth to reveal gritted teeth.

With a small yell of struggle, it happened. Kurama's dark smile was in full effect, feeling the familiar warm chakra of Naruto's roll over its form. Just as the spike occurred, it stopped suddenly. Naruto shot to his feet, opening and closing his hands repeatedly. The seal on his navel was practically glowing.

"**Congratulations, brat. You're now at the level of your 12 year old self." **Those words made Naruto face plant into the murky water beneath him. Kurama watched him rise up and tighten his fist.

"Hey! You say that like it's a bad thing?! Wasn't I a shinobi?!" Naruto shouted at the bijuu who began to scratch at its long ears.

"**You were a little runt. You still are, although you have a bit more common sense now." **Seeing Naruto about to argue more, Kurama stuck his fist out again. **"Try to synchronize your chakra with mine now. Do the same thing you did before, but instead of focusing on the seal, push the energy into your closed hand."** Pushing his own fist against the larger one, Naruto followed Kurama's directions.

The second their fists connected, the same explosion of chakra occurred from the night before. This time, Naruto's radiant chakra was wildly spinning, attempting to mix with Kurama's. Naruto had his eyes closed, in focus, Kurama watched him carefully.

'**Naruto... NARUTO!' **Kurama shouted, seeing his whiskered face tighten in pain. Yanking the fist back, Kurama watched as Naruto fell to a knee in the mindscape.

Naruto's eyelids were closed but that didn't stop the influx of memories. He heard no sound, only flashes of images zoomed past him. All of it was similar to his dreams and nightmares. However, these were vivid, he got clear images of people or places. His eyes began to tear up, yet he didn't know why. Despite not being able to hear what these people were saying to him, he felt _everything_. Foreign emotions invaded his body as he let out a gasp, holding his head in pain.

*Splash!* A loud impact in the water echoed throughout his mind. The distraction proved to be enough, opening his eyes Naruto was greeted to the sight of Kurama's tails twitching in agitation.

"Kurama... What happened?" The tailed beast looked almost upset, Naruto honestly couldn't tell.

"**It seems we still can't synch even with you actively channeling chakra." **Resisting the urge to growl, Kurama continued. **"The sudden pressure from you seeing flashes of memories is too much right now. My chakra isn't meant to be taken lightly Naruto, and your body isn't the same as it once was. I won't let you be in pain over something like this." **Kurama lowered to look Naruto in the eye. **"As long as I'm here... your memories will never be lost Naruto."**

Letting out a shaky breath, Naruto gave Kurama his best smile. "I'll count on you then Kurama. I'll train every day to make my body stronger. I'll need your help with everything pertaining to chakra." Naruto sat down, ignoring the water.

"**It's not a simple process Naruto. You won't be back to full strength for some time. Just know that if problems arise, and you find your own chakra isn't enough, mine will be there to help." **Making another fist, Kurama waited for Naruto again. This time no chakra was channeled between them, it was just their form of affection.

Grinning softly, Naruto placed his own fist against Kurama's and gave a small laugh. Kurama couldn't help following after, chuckling alongside him. They weren't sure what they were laughing at and Naruto felt safe. Those memories and emotions made him feel hopeless, but Kurama anchored him back to reality. He was extremely happy to have the so called strongest of the bijuu as his partner.

"Hey, hey Kurama! Start telling me about... well, me! And you!" Dropping to the floor alongside Naruto, Kurama stared at him with various emotions brewing.

"**It all started on October 10th. The day you were born Naruto..." **

For what must have been hours, the two sat and talked in the strange corridor of Naruto's seal. Naruto laughed, he cried and even insulted Kurama at times. It was more akin to having someone tell you a story than to think of it as your own life. Naruto didn't care, everything Kurama said, every bizarre scenario and fight, Naruto knew it was all real.

"**Oh, oh. There was that time you agreed to impregnate a priestess to ensure her power is passed on."**

"What?! Kurama, do I have kids?!"

They were perfect partners.

* * *

Hikage's yellow eyes slowly opened, raising her hands to rub at them, she was tense when she noticed the room they were in. That tense feeling dropped when the events from yesterday hit her, they weren't home anymore. They were in Hebijo now. It would be their second home for a couple more years.

Sitting up, Hikage looked at the clock, they still had an hour or so till Suzune-sensei wanted them to meet up. Snapping her attention back to the warm body below her, Hikage nuzzled closer to him. Inhaling his scent, as she never broke that habit over the years, she merely watched him.

'He looks... happy.' It's been quite some time since Hikage has seen Naruto smiling in his sleep. Yet here he was, the upwards curve of his lips showing how good he must be feeling right now. Eyeing his lips some more, Hikage debated on putting her own against his. She enjoyed that quite a bit.

Rubbing her neck, she looked at the small bruise like markings on it. They weren't from Imu's staff, no they were from Naruto. "Love bites" she vaguely remembered hearing that term. Her face flushed slightly remembering how he turned the tables on their little fight yesterday. After their mothers talk years ago, Hikage has always been curious to do things with Naruto. After all, they loved each other right? This was to be expected. They didn't "go all the way" as Hinata called it, but Hikage did plan on it in the future.

Feeling Naruto begin to shift, she knew he was waking up, they did sleep rather early the night before. Hikage, naked of course, sat up on his chest again, waiting for his reaction.

Naruto woke up with a smile on his features, his talk with Kurama was interesting to put it lightly. The bijuu revealed a lot to him, things that seemed impossible, things that were sad and things that brought him joy despite his lost memory. Kurama told him about his birth, his... parents and basic history of the shinobi world he came from. Naruto was fascinated by all of it, inquiring about people he knew and events he went through. Yes, it felt good to hear about his past, but Naruto felt he couldn't truly connect to it. His memory of living that life was broken up, it truly felt like a story. Maybe in the future when he can recall such memories on his own, he would reflect on them clearly. Perhaps the most important thing Naruto got from his talk with Kurama was his name. Uzumaki.

Hinata never had a last name, neither did Hikage. They were orphans who were never actually adopted, officially at least. Naruto wished his mother of this world actually did have a name to pass on, he would scream it out with pride. However, he supposed Uzumaki fit him perfectly. Repeating the name in his head, Naruto finally opened his eyes fully, the smile still present. Kurama was silent, finally taking a nap after the long conversation and previous night.

Deadpanning at the sight of Hikage's bare chest directly in his view, Naruto let his eyes roam over her body. He blushed slightly at the marks on her neck, knowing he was the cause of those. The red mark on her stomach and kneecap made him a bit angry though, it seems Imu's staff actually left an impression.

"Good morning Hebi-chan." Naruto grabbed her fast, pulling her down for a hug, uncaring of her state.

Hikage blinked a few times, it seemed Naruto was in a good mood. "Good morning Naru. You seem happy?" Naruto bobbed his head excitedly.

"Yup! Kurama told me a lot last night. Don't worry, I'll share everything I know with you!" Hikage broke the hug with him, confusing Naruto.

"Did Kurama tell you about your... home?" Hikage struggled to say it. She felt a sharp pain in her heart thinking about Naruto's circumstance. Hikage always wanted the best for him, but if finding out about his past life would make him leave her... she didn't know what to do. Was she allowed to be selfish?

Eyeing her worried form, Naruto put his hands on her waist, making her freeze at the sensation of his warm hands. "Hikage. I know you're worried about me leaving you... I promised you didn't I? I'll always be there for you. Besides Kurama doesn't even know how we can return to where we came from." He rubbed her sides consolingly, making her shiver slightly with pleasure. The small frown was still present on her face.

Bringing his hands up to her face, Naruto pushed the sides of her mouth up slightly, trying to force a smile. "Hebi-chaaaan! Yes, I had a home before this, but you're important to me. You know I never go back on my promises."

Stopping his hands from pushing her mouth up more, Hikage's expression finally changed to one Naruto wanted to see. The small tug of her lips was more than enough him, he grinned brightly when she spoke.

"I expect you to tell me everything then. We still have an hour before meeting Suzune-sensei." Hikage leaned closer to his face, her long tongue darting out of her mouth. Naruto watched with his usual embarrassed expression before he smirked. Hikage usually got him embarrassed so easily, he wanted to get revenge.

Using dexterity that he wasn't even sure he had, Naruto flipped their positions expertly. Hikage's eyes were wide as she looked at the smirking visage of Naruto. Straddling her now, Naruto watched her shocked face slowly reddening. Trailing his hands up her sides, he watched the girl bite her lip slightly as he neared her breasts.

"GOOD MORNING NARUTO-KUN!" The shared room's door slammed open with a bang. Haruka stood in the entrance, wearing a simple tank top and pink shorts. Her bust was clearly too big for her sleep attire.

'She's not wearing a bra...' Naruto noticed. He was still frozen in place on top of an annoyed Hikage.

"Oh?" Haruka tilted her head slightly with closed eyes. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?" It was asked so innocently that Naruto bought it. Hikage on the other hand, well she wasn't happy.

"No, no. I was just... checking to make sure Hikage-chan was alright. She felt warm and she might have a fever!" He got off the bed, not even recognizing the fact that he only had his pair of boxers on.

"I see, you're a very caring person Naruto-kun." Haruka smiled gently at him, the compliment was genuine. "I hope when I'm sick you'll do the same for me?" Keeping her eyes locked onto his own, Naruto felt he had to respond.

"Yeah anytime! I don't mean I want you to be sick or anything but..." He looked at the ground slightly, now he sounded lame.

"I understand Naruto-kun. I'm terribly sorry for disturbing you." She gave Hikage a small smirk when she knew Naruto wasn't looking. The emotionless look she received back made her smirk widen.

"It's okay Haruka-chan. We were going to get ready soon to meet Suzune-sensei. Want to walk together again?" He knew they were interrupted by Haruka, but she was his friend. Besides Hikage and now Kurama, he had no one else.

"Yes, I'd love that." Her pleasant smile made his face flush a bit, it didn't help that her sleep attire was rather tight on her. "I'll wait for you outside in half an hour okay?" Seeing Naruto agree, Haruka gave a small bow, somehow she held back the smug look she desperately wanted to shoot Hikage.

Hikage watched as the doll girl shut the room door gently. She felt a foreign emotion bubbling up inside of her again. Unlike when she was crying over Hinata or the constant love she feels for Naruto. Hikage never felt something quite like this. Her fists tightened involuntarily.

'Who does she think she is? Naruto is mine. That doll keeps trying to interfere...' A sadistic smile appeared on her face, making Naruto watch her with caution. 'I'll deal with her eventually.' Hikage was quite possessive.

"Hikage-chan...? You okay?" Naruto asked her despite the feeling of dread that accompanied the question.

"I hate her Naruto." Her words were delivered in her usual tone, and Naruto frowned slightly. Hate? Really...?

"I know you and Haruka don't get along Hebi-chan..." He looked away from her gaze, sighing sadly. "Do you not want me to talk to her anymore...?" Naruto didn't want that to happen, but he loved Hikage and never enjoyed making her upset.

Hikage looked at the ceiling for a couple seconds, thinking about how Naruto sounded. She knew he always wanted friends, she loved him too much to take friends away from him. Yes, Haruka was an annoyance, though Hikage would put up with it. For Naruto's sake.

"... No Naru. I'd never do that to you. I may not like how she acts but... that's your friend." Hikage watched Naruto's face brighten considerably at her words. Naruto went closer to her, getting in her face and staring deeply into her eyes.

"Thanks, Hebi-chan. Who knows, maybe you'll be friends with her in the future?" Her face was blank at his words.

'Yeah. That's not happening.' Hikage thought to herself before slamming her lips into Naruto's, knocking them both off the bed and onto the wooden floor. They still had half an hour.

* * *

Rin waited impatiently, tapping her heeled shoes on the ground. It was half past 8 now, they were late. She was about to leave and search for the annoying brats before the door burst open again. Naruto. Rudely opening the doors with two girls trailing him.

"Yo! Suzune-sensei!" He threw his hand up, giving a nonchalant wave. Hikage eyed her with her blank features and Haruka was smiling at Naruto's antics.

"... You're all late. Why?" Rin inquired with a cold voice. Seeing Naruto struggle to come up with an answer, Haruka stepped in quickly.

"Suzune-sensei, Hikage-san wasn't feeling too well this morning. Naruto-kun was helping her get out of bed, resulting in them being late. Since they are my classmates, I stood around to help them. I apologize." The girl bowed quickly. Naruto and Hikage both looked surprised at her. Not expecting her to cover for their lateness, especially since the reason was not as appropriate as helping with sickness.

"We are a shinobi school. These excuses may work in the normal education system, but not here. See that it doesn't happen again." Her clipped tone made them all nod. Looking down to the bag by her feet, Rin noticed they all followed her gaze.

"Here." She reached into the bag and withdrew two uniforms, female uniforms. They were the same design as Miyabi's. Short red and black skirts, same color top's with a small tie. Normal brown flat shoes were included in the bundle of clothing. The infinity symbol of Hebijo was proudly displayed on the collar. Throwing them to the two girls, they caught them easily, eyeing them with curiosity.

"You are required to wear the uniform during lessons and training. Once you learn to transform, you can select whatever outfit you'd like for that. I don't care." She coldly commented. Turning to the bewildered Naruto, she rose an eyebrow at his open mouthed expression.

"...Suzune-sensei...? You're not going to make me wear that right? I'll leave right no-" He was cut off by a different uniform being thrown at him. Looking at it, the clothing was rather plain. A short sleeved button up shirt and tie, sharing the same colors as the girls. Symbol included on the color. His pants were also unsurprisingly black. Brown shoes accompanied the drab look.

"Thanks, Suzune-sensei. At least I don't have to wear a skirt." He shot his teacher a shaky smile.

"That'd be interesting to see though right Hikage-san?" Haruka commented to the girl standing next to her. Strangely, Hikage looked intrigued.

"Change into those. Then I'll explain your curriculum and training." Rin crossed her arms under her bust.

"Okay, we will be right back-" Naruto got cut off again by Rin's raised hand.

"Here. Change now. We don't have time for you to return to your rooms." Her eyes snapped to his quickly. He blushed a bit, stripping in front of Hikage was different, but an older woman? Turning back to Hikage and Haruka, he was going to tell them he'll search for a secluded place in the training room.

'... Seriously?' He watched with a dry look as Hikage and Haruka already began pulling off their clothing. The cough from Suzune-sensei told him he should get to it quickly. The woman was staring right at his head, almost daring him to complain again.

"Suzune-sensei sure is scary..." He mumbled as he stripped down to his boxers. Rin's lips twitched for a second at his whisper.

Pulling on the clothes he deemed as "boring", Naruto struggled with the weird tie around his neck. Not enjoying the feeling of that or the rather tight pants. Despite the tightness, the actual material felt like it could rip easily.

"Ara ara. Do you need help with the tie Naruto-kun?" A sweet voice asked, making him turn to see Haruka and Hikage were already changed. He almost choked on his own saliva at the school uniforms hugging their forms. The skirts were so short that a small breeze would definitely expose their panties. Naruto mentally let out a sigh of relief at it being an all girls school. He didn't want any guys seeing Hikage's panties.

"No Haruka-chan, I got it." He fussed with the tie some more before finally settling down. Suzune didn't seem amused at his struggle with the clothing. Although the teacher noticed the makeshift sheathe on his legs for his knives. Hikage eyed his form from head to toe. The outfit was quite tight on him, not that she was going to complain.

"Now that uniforms are out of the way it's time to explain the situation." Rin's voice became cold. "You will be a part of an elite class. I will be your primary teacher. You will be with other first year students for basic shinobi history, but when it comes to training and advanced studies, you will be with me." She watched Naruto grin with pride over elite status.

"Nice! Elite's huh?" He was about to boast some more before Rin killed the mood.

"Only in name. I want you to understand again that those girls yesterday did not go all out in any capacity. Naruto, you pinned Miyabi down for a few seconds, you did not incapacitate her. Don't let these victories go to your head. They didn't access any shinobi arts or transformations." It was good to be confident in one's ability, but Rin wanted to prevent them from becoming arrogant. She may have been forced into a teaching position, though that did not mean she'd them die for stupidity. Also, seeing how Miyabi stormed out of her father's office, Naruto would have a bigger issue to deal with.

"I know Suzune-sensei, if I didn't dodge her sword perfectly, she might have killed me." Naruto knew that it'd be a different story if she was going all out. He also wasn't planning to call on Kurama's chakra to fight right now. The Kyuubi explained that he's an unknown in this world, and it's a lot bigger than their home. There's more individuals behind the scenes plotting and no amount of brute force would prevent him from not attracting trouble.

Rin was glad he understood. Nodding at him, she addressed the group as a whole. "I'll escort you to your classroom for history today. Mornings will be taken up by regular studies, afternoons and beyond will be with me." Seeing that none of them had any questions, she lead the group out of their training room and around the academy campus. All the students watched them walk, to his credit Naruto didn't get as embarrassed at their comments. Being seen naked by a lot of girls in his building helped him get past that.

'Kurama was right. What's happening to me?' Naruto recognized how absurd everything was lately. A shinobi school, a giant fox, chakra, his memories. It all made him miss the simple days of being with Hinata.

His eyes closed as they walked to the classrooms, thinking about what his mother's reaction would be to being in a shinobi school. It's only been two days really, but his heart hurt over Hinata. His eyes briefly flashed red, his anger towards Hinata's killer was getting to him.

Rin stopped walking as she felt a weird sensation overtake her. She turned quickly, eyeing the group. Everything seemed alright besides their confused eyes, but she knew she felt something. 'What was that... it didn't feel as strong as that energy the other night but still...' She was suspicious now.

Turning again, she withheld a comment to the trio who turned to each other and shrugged. Stopping in front of a classroom, Rin gestured to the room in front of them. "Here we are. Class should end in two hours. You're going to have to catch up to the other students, but I'll think you'll all manage. Good luck." Rin began her exit, heels clicking against the wooden floors loudly.

The group stood there awkwardly. Naruto gave a weak grin as he pointed to the door. "Ladies first...?" Both Hikage and Haruka pushed him into the room.

"Ah! Dammit!" He swore as he almost tripped on the way in. The classroom was silent as he fixed his balance. The teacher, a brunette with a more mature version of the school uniform was standing in front of the room. She rose an eyebrow at Naruto. The students were staring wide eyed at the boy who entered.

Fixing himself, Naruto looked up, eyeing the room quickly. 'I don't know why I expected anything different... of course it's all girls...' He smiled slightly at the woman teaching.

"And you are..." The brunette trailed off, waiting for him to speak.

"Oh, I'm Naruto. This is Hikage and Haruka." He gestured to the silent girls behind him. "Suzune-sensei directed us here." The woman's eyes lit up in understanding. She hummed to herself, looking Naruto up and down before pointing her hand to the back of the room.

"Go take the available seats in the back. I don't want any trouble out of you three." Her tone was clipped, Naruto thought she was doing an awful Suzune-sensei impression.

Naruto grabbed Hikage and Haruka's hands quickly, making a beeline for the back of the room. Hikage deadpanned at his actions, not liking the other hand he grabbed. Haruka was wide eyed. 'It's just like when he grabbed my hand at the park...' She blushed, remembering that day fondly.

Sitting in the middle of Hikage and Haruka, Naruto waved slightly at all the girls following his movements. They were all around his age and looked shocked at his appearance.

"Do you think one of those girls is his girlfriend?" Naruto heard one whisper.

"Look at that shirt... Do you think he picked a smaller size on purpose?" He sweat dropped at the gossip.

"He reminds me of Miyabi-sama, they are both so manly." The blond boy narrowed his eyes after hearing that one. Manly? They called Miyabi manly? He wasn't even paying attention to the teacher who became his lecture.

Why the hell did they call such a pretty girl manly? What the hell was he missing? Naruto was going to ask for Hikage and Haruka's opinion but judging by their reaction to the comment he made about her... ass, he decided against that. Letting out a sigh, Naruto accepted his fate and listened to the boring lectures.

'Man, I wish Kurama was awake right now...' He actually missed that snarky asshole.

Leaning against the desk Naruto closed his eyes, just for a few seconds...

"Naruto-kun..." Startled, Naruto woke up with a small jump. He took in his surroundings, a classroom. Okay, he fell asleep for a lot longer than he intended.

Yawning, he tuned to see a smiling Haruka, she poked him lightly in the chest.

"You fell asleep, class is about to end soon. I don't want sensei to yell at you."

"Oh. Thank you, Haruka-chan." He wondered why Hikage didn't wake up before turning to his left. The green haired girl was staring ahead, looking at nothing in particular. 'She spaced out again...' Hikage was prone to doing that.

"You better snap her out of her daydreaming. Unless... you want to spend some time alone with me Naruto-kun?" Haruka innocently asked, forgetting that they weren't alone at all.

"... You'd like that wouldn't you doll girl..." A deadpan voice whispered among their small group. Haruka's smile turned cold, while Naruto sighed. 'Here we go again.' He thought with dread.

"Oh? Did you say something 'Hebi-chan?'" Haruka mocked her slightly. Hikage didn't take the bait, she continued staring at the girl. Naruto began to feel uncomfortable and shook his head.

"Can't you both get along... please?" He looked at them pleadingly.

"It's her not me Naru."

"Don't lie to Naruto-kun."

'Kurama... wake up.'

All he heard over their connection was soft snores. The tailed beast peacefully sleeping after their long talk.

"Class dismissed. All of you report to your training for the afternoon." The woman in front of the room said professionally. She let her eyes linger on the back of the room before disappearing the same way as Suzune.

'Is that speed? Teleportation?' Naruto's eyes narrowed in thought. His questioning was cut off as he felt Hikage begin to pull on him. His arm was being pulled into her soft chest. He heard Haruka let out a small curse before his right arm was also taken over.

"C'mon Naru. We have to get to Suzune-sensei." Hikage told him as she began to drag him from the desk. Haruka reluctantly followed the snake girls words, they all needed to be at the same place after all. She did give a smug smile in retaliation of Hikage's glare over Naruto's arm placement. Her chest also happened to be a bit bigger than Hikage's, making her feel even better.

Dragging Naruto through the campus, they noticed Suzune-sensei waiting at the entrance of the building, impatiently tapping her arm. Her ruby eyes narrowed on them as they approached.

"How was class?" The purple haired woman questioned.

Haruka being the only one to truly pay attention, decided to help the two again. Mainly for Naruto's sake. "It went well. We went over different types of missions shinobi are meant to undertake according to the client. She also spoke of how we operate when good shinobi are around the same area. Personally, this information was nothing new Suzune-sensei. We covered this months ago when we met." Haruka concluded with a calculating look, showing how intelligent she truly was.

Rin was impressed slightly over how quick the girl was on picking things up. It seems her mother forcing her to study everyday with no other positives in life affected her substantially. Naruto looked lost, Hikage... looked like Hikage.

"Very good. Now, I'll be leading you all to a room designated for our use as "elites". Today I'll be going over all applications of shinobi arts with you so we may start on physical training during the month." Rin told them as she began to walk, expecting them to follow obediently. They did, with Naruto still being trapped between two females glaring at each other.

Keeping his eyes to the floor to avoid the stares and whispers of other students, he sneakily eyed Suzune. That skirt she wore... she had a nice butt as well. He kept his eyes focused on it for a little while before moving them elsewhere. He focused instead on the feeling of two pairs of breasts pushing into his arms.

'I bet there's some old pervert out there right now envying my position.' Naruto thought looking up at the sky.

If only he knew...

* * *

Dropping his head on the fancy table of their adequately dubbed shinobi room, Naruto blew out another tired sigh. Suzune-sensei totally fried his brain with a bunch of stuff that didn't make sense.

Haruka and surprisingly Hikage seemed to grasp what she was talking about easily. Ying energy this, yang energy that. _Shinobi Tenshin_ used the latent energy blah blah blah. It wasn't as impressive as his chakra!

'**You're lucky I was awake and paying attention for you. Lazy bastard.' **Kurama mumbled in his head.

'Kurama! You're awake! I missed you buddy.' Naruto called out before he felt the room spin. Blinking, Naruto realized Kurama pulled him into the seal again.

"Huh? What's wrong Kurama?"

The bijuu, who was still resting on the floor, opened one eye to look at Naruto. **"I don't know if you have this "energy" Suzune talks about Naruto. Your body is brimming with chakra, I can't detect any anomalies or anything similar to what she was talking about." **Seeing Naruto's disappointed look, Kurama kept talking. **"But, all of the things she described this yin and yang energy is capable of, can easily be replicated with chakra. You can fool these shinobi quite easily." **Naruto's face changed quickly, his cheeky smile coming back.

"Yes! What about the transformation thingy?" He asked curiously.

"**Heh. As if you'd need a stupid scroll to transform! You have me! Kurama the-" **Naruto cut him off with a dry look.

"I probably can't transform with it right?" The boy eyed the deflated fox. Kurama was disappointed that Naruto stopped the best speech ever gifted to mortal ears. Sighing, the beast began to sit up.

"**I'm going to be blunt with you. I don't know. Don't forget that we aren't from **_**here**_** Naruto**_**. **_**I guess... just try transferring your chakra into the scroll when she gives you it?" **Kurama was clueless here.

"You told me not to attract too much attention last night!" He yelled to the towering bijuu.

"**I'm not saying destroy the damn thing! Apply the same chakra transfer I tried doing with you, except the conduit is the scroll. What's the worst thing that could** **happen?" **Kurama looked up in thought. **"You think it would explode?" **The Kyuubi let a fanged grin cross it's features.

Naruto's eyes twitched madly as he stood in front of Kurama. He felt a pull before he was back in the real world. Shaking his head, he looked up to see Suzune-sensei with a serious face. She was always serious, but this was... extra serious.

"Naruto. Reo-sama wants you to report to his office. You are to leave now."

"Huh? What did I do? I swear I wasn't sleeping in class!" Suzune's stared at his face before pointing to the door.

"Your... escort is waiting outside to show you the way." Suzune turned to face the two worried girls. "You two, I'll show you the basics of sealing objects into scrolls while Naruto is gone." They both agreed but Hikage watched Naruto with a pit forming in her stomach.

Grumbling to himself, Naruto stood up and brushed himself off. He threw Hikage and Haruka a small thumbs up before leaving the room. Where was his escort?

"Follow me." A somewhat deep female voice called to him. He knew that voice. Turning his head he saw a familiar face, Miyabi. Her arms crossed under her chest and scowl firmly in place.

"Yo! What's up Miyabi-chan?" He gave her a slight smile, making her scoff.

"Do not address me so familiarly. We are not friends and never will be." She told him icily. Naruto looked a bit offended at her words.

"O...kay? Sorry, Miyabi-san?" She didn't respond, rather turning and heading down the long hallway.

'**I told you, she's like an Uchiha. Disgusting creatures.' **Kurama spit out.

'Do you mean Uchiha or humans in general?' Naruto followed after her, keeping his head down as he talked to Kurama.

'**Yes.'**

'... I'm human though ya know...'

'**Humans pale in comparison to the magnificence of a bijuu.'**

'That's funny coming from someone that I don't even know if they are a boy or girl!' Naruto made Kurama sputter in shock.

'**What?! I'm a mass of chakra given form! A gender is irrelevant.' **

'You sound like a boy Kurama...'

'**... Naruto pay attention, you almost walked right into her chest.'**

'Huh?'

Miyabi stood glaring at Naruto. He was only an inch or two shorter than her but since his head was down while walking he was on a course for full on collision with her. She was stopped in front of a set of dark doors, her yellow eyes scornfully stared at him.

"Enter." She said with disdain.

"Alright. Thanks." He moved to open the doors but noticed she wasn't leaving. She picked up on his silent questioning.

"I was instructed to wait for you to ensure you familiarize yourself with the layout of the campus." The words were delivered with so little emotion that Hikage would be proud.

Naruto scratched the back of neck, giving her one last look before entering the dark room. Walking slowly, he eyed the desk where Reo sat. Unknown to Naruto, Kurama was also sitting up, ready to sense for lies and such.

"Naruto." The white haired man looked up from various pieces of paperwork and eyed the teen in front of the desk.

"What's up old man?" The casual way he addressed him made Kurama let out a sigh. Naruto really had no tact.

Naruto tensed up when he heard a laugh from the corner of the darker room. It didn't come from Reo obviously. Planting his feet firmly to the ground, Naruto didn't like the feeling in the air. That's when a figure revealed himself, making Naruto feel very cautious.

He was a tall sculpted man with an extremely muscular body that is apparent even with his clothing. He wears a formal attire consisting of a red coat with black furred trimming, waist-high pants of the same color, a white dress shirt, and a blue and green neckerchief. The man's blond hair was paler than Naruto's and his beard shared the color. Naruto eyed the long scar going down his right eye. His eyes... one black and one white... they were quite special. The man's build was bigger than that rogue shinobi Naruto fought two nights ago. The amused look on his face held underlying meaning, something that Kurama couldn't even decipher.

"He's quite the funny one isn't he, Reo-san?" The blond man said to the principal. Miyabi's father was sitting up straight but nodded his head once.

"Yes Dōgen-sama, he lacks respect though I'm sure that will change. Right, Naruto?" It was worded as a question, but Naruto knew what the man was saying. The now named Dōgen held up a hand and let out another laugh.

"No no, it's quite alright. I'm around those stuffy politicians and such all day, it feels nice to talk to someone real." Dōgen gestured to Naruto.

'Kurama?'

'**... I can't sense anything negative coming from him. He feels off...'**

"Now young Naruto, I didn't tell Reo-san to call you here to punish you or anything, so don't be worried." The tall man gave Naruto what he deemed as a easy going smile. "I just wanted to meet you and let you in on our little plan." Naruto narrowed his eyes at those words, making Reo sigh.

"What Dōgen-sama is alluding to isn't anything malicious. You see, he is Hebijo's main benefactor. Most of the mission requests we receive are sent through him. When he... heard of you joining the school, he was intrigued by the concept." Reo spoke calmly.

"Indeed! A male, joining an all female shinobi school? It's practically unheard of and made all of Hebijo's backers quite interested." Dōgen spoke positively.

'**This isn't good Naruto... we won't be able to keep a low profile like this.' **Kurama deduced.

Naruto remained silent, waiting for more information. Seeing Dōgen smile again, Naruto remained tense.

"What I meant by "plan" is actually beneficial for both of us. You see young Naruto, what we all need is for you and your elite classmates to become stronger. You will be representing the school through special missions in the future! The more ordinary students play their role of course, but when it comes to the best, I want that to be you." Dōgen's white and black pupils shone with praise for Naruto. "I heard you even soundly defeated Reo-san's daughter. From the information I have, she is a natural prodigy, so this is quite exciting." He looked to the form of Reo.

Reluctantly agreeing, Reo began to speak. "Yes Dōgen-sama, he pinned her down. Though I have to add, she was not using her full power." Cold as he was, he would defend his daughter.

"Oh, that's fine Reo-san, I'm sure Naruto is strong enough to take care of her regardless. Isn't that right Naruto?" Dōgen eyes looked deeply into Naruto's. Reo tightened his fists at the blatant disregard of Miyabi.

"No Dōgen...-sama, I don't know if I would have. Miyabi-san is quite strong, and she wasn't going all out..." He forced out the proper respect for the man. He didn't want to, but this man was the biggest supporter for the school.

Waving his hand dismissively, Dōgen shrugged the words off. "Whatever you say. Now Naruto, I expect you to prosper as an evil shinobi for the glory of Hebijo. I know it may put a lot of weight on your shoulders, just try not to disappoint me." His smile showed his pearly white teeth off.

Naruto bowed awkwardly, he wasn't used to being respectful or anything. Dōgen's laugh bounced off the walls. "There's no need for that. I told you, it's a welcome change from the people I put up with daily. But that's all for now, I simply wanted to meet you and ensure your future success." The man laughed lowly.

"It was... nice to meet you as well. Will that be all old man? I was with Suzune-sensei." Naruto looked to Reo, who only pointed at the door to signify he can leave. Nodding his head, Naruto threw a wave at both of them, making Dōgen smile again.

Turning his back, Naruto consulted Kurama quickly. 'Anything Kurama?' He called out.

'**... No. I couldn't get a read on him. It felt like he wasn't even there.' **Kurama admitted. **'Don't let your guard down around these people Naruto. You may have me on your side, but one wrong move and we can still be put down**.' No matter how strong someone was, if caught off guard it meant little.

Shutting the door behind him and literally trapped in his thoughts, Naruto missed Miyabi practically shaking in rage.

She heard everything. She had to eavesdrop, never has a first year been called into her father's office besides her and Imu. And he's met with Dōgen-sama? The biggest supporter of the school? Miyabi was livid. She was an elite, she was the one who would be given a test with a Kagura level shinobi soon, not this _boy_. Even with her shaking hands, she gripped the front of his shirt, knocking him out of his thoughts.

"Miyabi-san?" Naruto tilted his head at her. That's when he felt another pull, this was different from when he entered the seal though. It felt like he was moving really fast.

'**Naruto! The girl teleported you both!' **The bijuu warned him quickly.

He landed on his ass, staring at the girl a couple feet ahead of him. Jumping to his feet and taking in his surroundings quickly, he realized it was a small clearing or training ground.

Miyabi began to speak with venom. "You've been here a single day... and you're already trying to act high and mighty. You think you deserve this opportunity? You think Dōgen-sama cares about your potential? I'm an elite, you're nothing but trash Suzune picked up off the street." She glared at him harshly.

"Miyabi... I don't know what you're talking about? High and mighty? I didn't even know the old man was going to have a visitor in his office. You want my position as an elite? Take it. I don't care about titles." He told her, wanting to talk the girl down.

"You don't understand. You think you defeated me, I spent the whole day hearing about how some first year successfully made ME submit in a fight." Her yellow eyes were dripping with emotion. "I... hate feeling weak. You made me look weak in front of my father." _'Just like when... I couldn't help her...' _Preventing sadness from bubbling to the surface, Miyabi glared down at Naruto.

"Listen Miyabi, I didn't want to make you feel weak. It was a spar! That's what you do in spars! Plus, they told me it was a placement test or whatever, we can always fight again in front of your father." Naruto tried calming her down to no effect.

"No. I think it's time I show you the difference between you and I... Naruto." She summoned her katana quickly. "Fights like this are fully permitted between students, in fact it's encouraged." She let a dark smirk cross her face. "I dance for the honor of evil."

'**There's two options here Naruto. Fight her, or, retreat like a coward.' **Well Kurama certainly was helpful.

Pulling up the ankles of his pant legs, Naruto rolled them up to reveal sheathes for the blade of his trench knives. They weren't ideal, just something he threw together this morning, but he was glad he had them. Miyabi's katana could do major damage.

Sliding his hand into the brass knuckle part of his blade, Naruto gave Miyabi a small frown. "Fine. You wanna dance that badly?" He raised his fists up in what seemed like a boxing stance. "Let's dance!" With that he shot off first, kicking at the ground and putting his all into it. Miyabi met him halfway, blade clutched in her grip.

Throwing his left hand out with the knife attached, Naruto waited to see what her counter would be, he wasn't disappointed when her blade clashed with the pristine metal of his own. She maneuvered quickly, slashing at him with haste, well planned strikes, but still hasty.

Ducking and weaving through her strikes, they would occasionally meet and clash with their weapons. Both knew one clean hit from those could seriously do damage, although in her rage Miyabi could care less. She wasn't one to be emotional, but she had a lot on her plate, and to hear her father's disappointment from yesterday's match made her feel like garbage.

Miyabi realized her wide slashes were getting her nowhere, Naruto was slippery. He would counter back, but she knew he wasn't truly going for the kill. She needed a plan, something to throw him off. Swinging her katana to clash with his right hand, she watched him eye the blade cautiously. Using her other hand, she went for a quick punch, Naruto instinctually went to dodge it. 'Good.' Miyabi felt a strange sense of glee at his action.

Dropping her katana from her grip, she watched Naruto's face change to confusion as he focused his attention back on her. Crouching low to grab at the falling blade, Miyabi caught it with her left hand, swiping out towards his midsection. It wouldn't impale him, but it would certainly connect.

It did. Naruto's black school shirt cut above the seal on his navel. Blood poured from the wound quickly, his eyes were wide the whole time. Miyabi acted quickly and planted her foot firmly into his stomach, sending him flying backwards.

'**This is why I told you not to follow only the blade Naruto! Now you're cut up before her!' **Kurama yelled angrily to Naruto.

'Ah fuck... that actually hurt Kurama...' He bit back a hiss as his body connected with the ground from her kick.

'**Naruto. Channel your own chakra to the blades. Like I said, use an object as the conduit.'**

'I guess it's worth a shot...' He looked at the thin cut on his stomach. It wasn't too deep or life threatening, but he was bleeding. Miyabi eyed him with hidden satisfaction. She idly noticed his shirt looked like it was ripped more than it should have been... so that didn't only happen to female shinobi...

Naruto recovered quickly, holding his arms out and focusing for a second. Yellow eyes regarded him with caution. A low hum filled the clearing as Naruto's trench knives took on a blue aura. It wasn't as vibrant as it could be.

'Is this it Kurama?'

'**Yes. It's not wind nature chakra, but your knives will essentially be extended due to your chakra. You'll have an easier time fending off her sword and countering.' **Kurama summarized for its host, though Naruto needed to work on this technique as well.

Miyabi had no idea what he was doing, he was a first year wasn't he? How did he know how to channel his energy so quickly? Maybe he was from a hidden shinobi family. She supposed it didn't matter, the results would be the same.

Using her speed to appear behind him, Miyabi went for a straight slice at his back, only to be stopped by him turning quickly and clashing with two enhanced blades in an "x shape" formation. She grit her teeth as she pushed against the blades. What the hell were those things made out of?

Naruto leaned forward, pushing the chakra trench knives towards her with force. Seeing that her blade wasn't struggling under the weight of his chakra, he gave a grin making her concerned.

"Miyabi-chan... why don't you have some more?" His grin turned feral as he pumped even more chakra into the blades recklessly. She felt her own hands begin to shake heavily under the weight before she felt herself falling. Kicking out with his leg quickly, he took her own out from underneath her. 'Just like yesterday!' She thought in panic. This time Naruto didn't attempt to grapple her, he threw his fist out instead, knife and all.

Knowing there was no way out of this at the speed of his fist, Miyabi turned her body at the last second, feeling the sting of the sharp brass knuckle graze into her side. She let out a sharp scream when Naruto delivered a brutal kick to her abdomen, in the same way she did to him.

Gasping as she laid on the floor, she noticed her shirt was equally as destroyed when compared to Naruto's. Her white bra was revealed slightly, but Miyabi was never one for embarrassment. She dropped her katana for a second to put pressure on her side. The "teeth" of those brass knuckles made her feel like someone shattered hammers into her ribs. Looking up, she saw Naruto watching with a frown, his stomach wound was oddly starting to let off steam. She shook her head. No, she won't lose again to this boy. No. No. No!

Reaching into her bra quickly, Naruto was momentarily surprised at her action. Even Kurama didn't know what to make of that. She revealed a small scroll.

Holding it in front of her body, she stood up and gave a downright evil smirk. Black flames began to ignite on her hands. "_Shinobi Tenshin_!" She yelled out.

The air shifted, the scroll burst into light and Naruto was never more shocked at what he was seeing. She's... naked?!

'**I... What? What kind of shinobi are these people?!' **Kurama asked in shock.

The scroll of light tightened around Miyabi's figure and Naruto was easily able to see every private detail of her body quickly becoming covered up by new clothing. The light finally died down and Naruto was left in a bit of awe at her state. He's never seen anything like it.

Wearing a high collared white and yellow coat with black linings, Miyabi looked completely different. A black colored cape with white infinity markings was attached to her. The cape held by a double strap chest piece that proudly displayed a buckle with the logo of a snake. A burgundy sash and two small brown leather straps crisscrossed at the bottom front of her coat, holding it together slightly. Her breasts were practically popping out of the coat, making Naruto wide eyed. Even a portion of her thighs and backside were exposed as well, revealing yellow panties. Dark grey thigh-high stockings and white boots with black lining covered her feet. A black choker and silver infinity necklace were adorned on her neck. The last interesting piece of 'clothing' was on her left arm which is covered by white bandages and black leather straps.

"What the hell is this?!" Naruto called out to her, noticing her wounded side was completely fine now. Those scrolls seemed like bullshit!

"Hmph! This is my S_hinobi Tenshin_ Naruto. Be glad that you were able to see my transformation, not many have and lived." She placed her blade into the soft earth beneath her before forming a hand sign. Suddenly, a purple barrier was erected around them making Naruto freeze.

"This is a S_hinobi Kekkai_. You're stuck in here with me boy, and I'll show you how real shinobi fight." Miyabi was brimming with extreme confidence now, gripping the katana, she allowed her black flames to crawl along the edge.

'**Naruto. Those flames. They are oddly familiar to the Uchiha's flames of Amaterasu. Do your best to avoid them.' **Kurama instructed him. To his credit, Naruto heard the advice, but he was distracted. The barrier, it made his body shake. Not in fear, rather it was in rage. It's just like with Hinata.

'Kaa-chan... I...'

'**Relax. You're not alone. I'm here. Stay calm and keep focused, we can take this disgusting Uchiha imposter down.'**

Miyabi noticed his shaking form and perceived it to be fear, her anger was slowly depleting now that she saw him like this. She wouldn't kill him, but that didn't mean she couldn't embarrass him. She allowed the flames to coat her blade fully.

Naruto's eyes dilated as his breathing became heavy, his hands tightened around his blades so hard they began to bleed. The wound on his stomach wasn't even a priority anymore. Raising his head to look at Miyabi, blazing red slits greeted her.

'His eyes? What is he?' She was weary now, that wasn't normal. Was he a Yōma? Just like one of those vile creatures who took her mother away? Miyabi's eyes hardened.

'**Naruto. Calm down now.' **Kurama noticed Naruto beginning to call upon too much chakra. It would form a tail if he wasn't careful. They didn't need a repeat of the other day, Kurama wasn't sure how the principal would react to news of his daughter dying. The bijuu's tails began to twitch, feeling it's chakra running rampant in the seal.

"If you're just going to stand there...!" Miyabi practically flew at him, her speed was not even comparable to Hikage's anymore. It was in a different league. "I'll come to you!" She screamed out. Her blackened blade aiming for him. He wasn't moving, and she wondered if he was going to take the attack head on.

He did.

'**Naruto! What the hell are you doing?!' **Screamed Kurama through the seal. Miyabi's katana impaled through his shoulder. The black flames attempting to cauterize the wound painfully.

'...He's not even moving! I just stabbed him in the shoulder, and he won't move!' Miyabi was shocked. What the hell was he made of. Looking back at his face, he continued to stare directly at her. Hatred painting his face as he glared at her.

Seeing as this was getting nowhere, Miyabi was about to pull her blade out of its resting place in Naruto's right shoulder before he moved. Bringing his left hand up quickly he went to jab at her stomach, she jumped back quickly, forgetting about the blade for the moment.

Naruto didn't say anything as he watched her jump back. She eyed him with suspicion, what was his plan?

Grabbing the handle of her blade that wounded his shoulder, he noted the flames begin to die down now that it wasn't in her grip. Miyabi's stance was firm across the clearing, waiting for him to move again.

The whiskered boy snarled slightly and sheathed one trench knife. His left hand held his mother's gift, while his right held Miyabi's blade. Beginning to run, the ground caved in slightly at the pressure of his movement.

'Wh-What?!' Miyabi never saw someone move that quickly besides herself and Imu when they transformed. The sound of something cutting through the air alerted her senses as she ducked quickly. It was her own katana, sailing past her with intent to take her head off.

Naruto was right in her face, shoulder bleeding and all. His face was the definition of anger in Miyabi's book. It normally would be good to mess with an opponent's emotions, but she realized emotions were giving him strength here.

His left hand swung out quickly, the knife slashed into her side. She bit back a scream feeling the cut. Shallow but painful. Naruto followed up with another swing, she couldn't get hit by that!

Letting flames coat her hands, she threw them out at him. The black flames spewing out in a small stream. Naruto weaved to the left and then vanished. The only indication she had of it being _pure speed _instead of teleportation was the sound he made as he moved. It was akin to a cracking whip.

"HAH!" She heard a scream to her left before her world exploded. Two feet slammed into her injured side, out of everything he could of done, he literally drop kicked her. She slammed into the ground with a gasp, the proverbial wind was knocked out of her for a second.

Naruto stood up fully, observing her. His shirt was in tatters now and through half lidded eyes she noticed a strange design on his stomach. By some divine luck, she landed close to her blade. Grabbing the katana, she let flames lick at the blade again and used it to stand up. She didn't even want to see what damage was done to her outfit.

'This isn't the end... in fact it's time to show him something a little special.' Miyabi's planted her feet and raised her left hand. Naruto watched, still not responding to Kurama's calls.

"_Zen'aku no Purgatorio..." _ The white haired girl whispered out the name with a giant smirk. This technique would certainly shift the battle to her favor. A blood red aura overtook her hand, swirling around furiously. Naruto stood his ground, watching with caution.

*Clap, Clap, Clap*

Both shinobi were shocked at the sound, hearing loud footsteps approaching them.

"What a nice showing! An elite and future elite going all out, what an amazing sight!" Dōgen called out to them, ignoring Miyabi's shocked expression.

'He bypassed my barrier?!' She dropped her technique due to the shock. The taller blond man gave her a smile before looking to the red eyed Naruto.

"Young Naruto, I knew you were special, but trying to take on a third year again?! You are certainly different!" Dōgen took in the boys features with wonder. The red eyes, sharp teeth, how marvelous!

"D-Dōgen-sama, what are you doing here?" Miyabi asked him, putting pressure on her open wounds. They'd heal eventually but she certainly felt pain from it.

"Oh? I saw a curious barrier appear while I was leaving campus. Normally one wouldn't be able to detect such things, but when it comes to a shinobi like myself, it was quite easy!" He responded easily. "And what do you know? It's Hebijo's best and future talent fighting it out." He spread his arms wide in a dramatic pose.

Naruto finally let his stance drop, it seems the fight was over.

'**... You will be in this seal everyday training. We need to talk about your emotions Naruto. It's been some time since I've seen you overtaken by them so quickly.' **Kurama told him in a no nonsense tone. Naruto sighed knowing he messed up.

'I'm sorry Kurama... I was so mad over the stupid barrier. This girl... she actually pisses me off.' Naruto glared at the girl, his eyes turning back to their normal blue now that he stopped channeling chakra.

Dōgen coughed once to get their attention. "Now! I think you two should return to campus. I enjoyed watching the fight, though I don't want two of my future prospects dying so early!" Neither of the Hebijo students liked the way he worded that sentence.

A flash of light occurred around Miyabi. Her clothing changed back to her ripped school uniform. The cuts and damage Naruto delivered to her was still visible. She gave Naruto one last look before disappearing.

"That girl... always so cold!" Dōgen shook his head sadly before looking to Naruto. "Naruto go report back to Suzune. I'm sure she'll give you an earful for getting into a fight when you were supposed to return to her." He chastised the boy lightly.

Naruto refused to say a word, he turned his back to the man and began walking in the direction of the castle ruins.

'Kurama. I need to get stronger.'

Kurama merely grunted at his words.

Dōgen watched with a large smile on his face. The pleasant expression changed to something cynical as he took in Naruto's retreating form.

"All according to plan..."

* * *

**AN - **Oooooooooh. One of the main antagonists finally arrive. Dōgen is from the 3DS games, but I changed up his character a bit. The senran world is run by people who plot behind the scenes so Naruto will have to watch his back.

No, Naruto did not lose to Miyabi, but one review did make it clear. Miyabi is extremely strong, she is literally one of the best shinobi from the series. With no ninjutsu and such, she gave him trouble. There was no winner for the fight since it was interrupted. One thing I want to highlight is Naruto's emotions. Emotion is a big theme for this story, and Naruto is going to be overwhelmed with them at times. In this case, a barrier reminded him of what happened with Hinata. This obviously pissed him off and he ignored Kurama completely.

I want to mention one thing about power levels and such. Not to disappoint, but this story won't be constant fighting and what not. I'm gonna focus on relationships and romance and such a lot. It's a fan service series about busty ninja girls, not everything is going to be about Naruto flexing on everyone lmfao.

But hey! If you're here to read fights involving Naruto, I'll do my damn best. The story just reached over 200 followers, that's crazy to me! Considering I never wrote any fanfiction before and now I have people who genuinely enjoy it, it's a nice feeling.

Someone mentioned I should give a best girl at the end of chapters since I dislike quite a few.

Homura - yep, I mean, come on. Personality and looks wise. Gameplay. _Tan lines. _She's at the top of the list for me.


	9. Thief in the Night

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

"Suzune-sensei I'm not sure if it'll wo-"

"I don't care. Take the scroll and try it. Now."

It's been 6 months since their entrance to Hebijo, the fall and winter weather slowly became warmer with spring underway. Naruto would much rather be outside, but no, he was stuck in their regular training room with an annoyed Suzune-sensei.

"Naruto. Both Hikage and Haruka are able to transform, you keep putting it off. I've already placed your uniform in the scroll, that's why I told you to wear different clothes today." The purple haired woman explained to him quickly. She grew irate with his reluctance to grab the scroll.

Naruto eyed the plain red scroll in her hand, he knew it was key to their so called _Shinobi Tenshin_ and Hikage and Haruka certainly looked great with their outfits.

'**Pervert.'**

'You know... I can't even argue that anymore after being in this school.' Naruto replied flatly to the voice in his head or... seal.

'**You've been able to fool Suzune using your chakra. Walking on walls and water, easy. But if you don't try the stupid scroll she'll give you hell.' **Kurama's deep voice grumbled out tiredly. The bijuu was observant in the past months, watching the so called shinobi training of Hebijo. Honestly, it was shocking how harsh they were on students. It put Naruto's ninja academy to shame, these girls had to stay hidden in mere gravel for upwards to days? Kurama was impressed.

'And what happens if the scroll explodes Kurama? Those chakra exercises you make me do daily help sure, but I have no clue how much I should pump into the scroll.' Naruto was distracted talking with Kurama and didn't even notice Rin becoming pissed off.

'**Does it matter? What's the worst that could happen? Didn't this woman mention one of the most legendary shinobi never utilized this scroll stuff?'**

'Wouldn't Hikage-chan and Haruka-chan be disappointed if I don't transform like them?.'

'**They just want to see you naked, idiot.'**

Fair point.

"NARUTO! SCROLL! NOW!" Rin shouted coldly, finally fed up with the boy just staring at her open hand.

Naruto jumped slightly at her tone before shooting her a apologetic smile. He grasped the scroll from her palm and his smile turned nervous.

'Okay. Here goes nothing I guess.' Tightly holding the scroll in his left hand, Naruto poured a small amount of chakra into it.

"_Shinobi Tenshin_!" He called out.

"..."

"**..."**

"Uh."

"... Put more energy into it Naruto. Maybe you didn't use enough." Rin blew out a sigh. Seriously, she knew how strong her students were but to mess up something like this. The scroll literally does all the work!

"Okay okay. One more try!"

'**Naruto. Hold it with your right hand. Grasp it in your palm and pour your chakra there. I want to test something.' **Blinking at Kurama's advice, Naruto shrugged much to Rin's confusion, before following the tailed beasts directions. Kurama sat up and secretly channeled its chakra.

"_Shinobi Tenshin_!" Naruto held his hand up, as a brilliant white flash took over the room. Usually the scroll's light wasn't quite fierce, multiple female shinobi suspected the creators of this shinobi art enjoyed seeing the girls naked for a few seconds. However, Naruto's transformation made Rin close her eyes quickly.

'Kurama this feels weird as hell! It's like clothes are attaching to my body by force!' Kurama deadpanned at Naruto's rambling. Out of all the outlandish things taking place, the clothes are what got to him?

The light died down quickly, and Rin opened her eyes to gaze upon Naruto's form. He didn't look too much different, his casual clothing was changed into his regular Hebijo uniform. It didn't matter though, it was a success in Rin's eyes.

"Congratulations." She told him dryly.

Naruto was busy pulling at his clothes, not even acknowledging Suzune-sensei for the moment. She bit back a curse before leaving the room to retrieve Hikage and Haruka.

'Kurama! How'd it work! What did it do?!' Naruto called out, genuinely excited. He couldn't wait to customize his own outfit! Orange and black clothing was swimming around in his thoughts.

Kurama ignored Naruto's thoughts about "badass orange and black outfits" before giving a little hypothesis on the situation.

'**Your right palm held the mark of my father. While the mark has long since faded, your chakra picked up hints of Yang Release. The scroll was obviously accepting of the energy. Don't forget what Suzune doesn't shut up about, "yin and yang energy", it may not be chakra, but judging by your clothes, it worked.'** Kurama had no understanding about the specifics of the transformation, rather the Kyuubi gave an explanation that Naruto would slightly understand. _**'I still wish the thing exploded.'**_

Naruto snapped his fingers together, the sound echoing throughout the empty room. "I got it! So, utilizing my own chakra and using the scroll similar to a conduit like my blades, I channeled this yang release as a sort of replacement for the energy these shinobi use!" He finally figured it out! Naruto was smiling wildly at his own intelligence.

'**Dumbass. That's literally what I said.' **Naruto visibly deflated at Kurama's words.

'So cold Kurama... I thought we were partners...' Naruto whined to the bijuu.

'**Hmph. Go hit something really hard, like that training dummy. See if it explodes!' **Kurama would have explosions one way or another.

Naruto gave another careless shrug as he recovered quickly from Kurama's harsh words. Approaching the stationary practice dummy, he took a stance and threw his right hand out in a jab.

*Fwoosh!* The dummy got sent flying back until it impacted with the wall, no doubt it was destroyed. Naruto watched with a open mouth.

'What? What the hell Kurama? I wasn't even channeling chakra!'

'**You are. It seems while this scroll is active around your body, chakra is seeping out constantly. I haven't detected anything foreign entering your body...' **Kurama adopted a thoughtful expression. **'I wouldn't even know what to sense for if this shinobi energy affected your body.'**

Naruto nodded to Kurama's words, flexing his hands repeatedly. Feeling chakra circulating through his body always resulted in a good feeling.

"Naruto-kun!" A voice shouted from his left before he felt an impact. As he was falling he noticed green haired just below his vision. It was Hikage who tackled him, but the voice was obviously Haruka.

Hitting the ground and groaning at the rough feeling, Naruto's face lit up as he took in their new outfits. These transformations were certainly something.

'**You see Hikage naked daily and Haruka is always in your face when bathing. Why do you care about their outfits...?' **The Kyuubi couldn't understand Naruto's embarrassment. Seriously, the snake girl tried to eat his face daily, Kurama was forced to watch all that before wisely cutting the connection.

'Kurama.' Naruto started seriously. 'Sometimes it's significantly more erotic if there's clothing rather being fully naked. The full exposure creates less embarrassment than this.' The tailed beast was momentarily shocked at the tone.

'**Huh...'** Naruto didn't clarify any further, rather he took in the girls outfits. Haruka was directly in his line of sight so he looked her over first.

Haruka's shinobi outfit was obviously lewd. She wore what resembles pink and white lingerie with the bottom of her breasts left uncovered and a diamond shaped opening revealing her a lot of cleavage. Her arms are both covered by a white sleeve while her pure white stockings were tight on her thighs. Simple pink high heels adorned her feet. On her back is a large white lab coat lined with many different vials filled with hazardous chemicals. Oddly enough, her arms weren't in the lab coat, rather it was held up by her shoulders.

"Naruto-kun, I tried to stop Hikage-san from tackling you, but she never listens." Haruka crossed her arms under her generous bust, eyeing the snake like girl with slight disdain.

The green haired girl didn't even respond. She pecked Naruto on the lips quickly, her emotionless face revealing nothing. Jumping off him quickly, Naruto eyed her with his blush still apparent.

Hikage was wearing an outfit that Hinata would more than likely chastise if she could see her daughter. It certainly fit Hikage's personality but... 'Wow...' Naruto thought, ignoring Kurama's loud snort.

Wearing a torn up yellow and black striped shirt with a snake pattern and black frill trim, Hikage's cleavage was fully displayed. Due to the state of the shirt, it could really only cover one of her shoulders properly. Her neck was covered with thin chokers while black leather constricts going down her arms and legs carried her knives. Hinata's knife was placed in a weird position on the back of her right leg. Her blue jeans had various gashes and rips. The zipper was down, and the belt unbuckled, which is why Naruto felt so embarrassed. He knew what... type of panties she wore so it wasn't strange to note that they weren't exposed but the toned "v shaped" line leading from her hips to her sacred place was on display.

'I'm a lucky guy aren't I?'

'**Sure. Whatever you say.'**

Kurama was obviously jealous.

"Naru... you actually did it. I knew you could." Hikage said as she placed herself at his side. She was slightly disappointed that she couldn't see the transformation and over the fact that he didn't have a unique outfit yet. 'At least I can see him whenever I want.' Her lips pulled up into a cruel smirk as she looked to Haruka.

The blonde girl felt angry for a moment before shaking it off and appraising Naruto's form as she usually does. "Good job Naruto-kun, now Suzune-sensei can get off your back for now."

"Thanks girls, it took an extra try, but I finally got this down. Now I have to think of what outfit I want for it." He looked up at the ceiling, starting to ponder his choice again.

"Ara ara. Why not something _daring_ Naruto-kun?" Haruka asked him with her usual dangerous smile.

"Sorry. That's for my eyes only, doll girl. Stick to your exhibitionist getup." Haruka's eye twitched madly, grinding her teeth together she turned to Hikage.

"Says the girl wearing unzipped jeans. Are you trying to have those fall off of you snake slut?" Hikage didn't give a verbal response to the insult, rather she reached for her knife. Haruka on the other hand reached slowly into her long coat.

"We are supposed to be a team ya know..." Naruto told them as he scratched his head. This was a daily occurrence, Suzune-sensei definitely exploited their rivalry so they can train harder. Naruto had to give the purple haired woman some credit.

Seeing the girls get into each other's faces, Naruto sighed before separating them, he ignored Haruka's blush at his physical contact. For such a teasing girl, she certainly got embarrassed when he touched her.

"If you two don't stop fighting I'll kick your asses all over this room!" Both girls stopped glaring to turn their anger on him.

"What?" He stuttered out.

"Asses? Just asses?" Haruka asked him dangerously. Hikage stood next to her with a frown on her lips.

"I don't understand?"

"If I recall Naruto-kun... you called Miyabi-san's ass pretty. Yet, we get no such compliment?" Haruka's face turned into something evil.

"I didn't mean it literally! I was just saying things! That was like a year ago too. Hebi-chan you believe me right?"

"Do we not have "pretty asses" as well Naru?" She tapped on the grip of her knife slowly.

Naruto started sweating, placing his hands up slowly.

"Mercy... please?"

"I hope that _Shinobi Tenshin_ protects you Naruto-kun."

'_**This feels oddly familiar...' **_Kurama thought as the tailed beast listened to Naruto beg the girls to stop while running.

'**It doesn't matter if you're here or in Konoha. You still cause trouble.'**

'Kurama! Give me your chakra! All nine tails if you have to!'

'**Hah, no way brat.'**

Naruto heard their connection cut out as he dodged a throwing knife aimed at his leg.

"Hebi-chan I thought we loved each other!"

The green haired girl gave him a look while they were chasing him around the room.

"Think of it as extra training Naru. Love you."

She threw another knife.

* * *

Rin walked towards the training room after being summoned by the principal. Her mind was preoccupied with the news she received. Tonight, Miyabi and Imu would be sent on a month long mission with a small team. That team would be including a Kagura level shinobi to clear out a Yōma nest. Yōma were vile creatures. Disgusting parasitic demons born from bloodshed between shinobi. The minute a barrier is erected on a battlefield and blood spills, a strong enough Yōma can enter or even be born into their world. Rin has taken down a dozen or so herself, some were rather weak. A nest of them though? She wouldn't be looking forward to something like that.

She wondered what Reo-sama was thinking when sending his daughter on a mission like this. Perhaps he really believes in her ability to gain a rank higher than Jōnin in their school. After all, the girl was easily above a Chūnin in skill level. It would be a disservice to restrict the girl to lower missions when she could be on the frontlines against good shinobi. Imu was no slouch either. The girls practically grew up together, they were deadly when working as a team.

Ridding herself of any troublesome thoughts, Rin opened the large doors to what was designated as her squads training room. Her red eyes narrowed as she took in the sight before her.

Naruto was on the floor, his transformation undone as he laid on the ground in his ripped up casual clothes. His head was placed on Hikage's lap, the girl was idly stroking his hair. Haruka sat on his legs, one of her own legs crossed over the other as she looked to Rin.

"Hello Suzune-sensei, we just got finished training. It seems Naruto-kun couldn't hold his transformation for that long." Haruka stated while patting Naruto on the leg she was sitting on. Shockingly, Hikage wasn't glaring at her, probably because she was focused on the boy laying on her lap.

Rin placed one hand to her forehead, attempting to prevent her headache when dealing with them. "You both can cancel your transformations now. The rest of the day will be centered on my lectures." She heard Naruto groan lowly into Hikage's lap at her words. Purposely overlooking how Hikage blushed at his face pressing into her crotch, Rin started tapping her heel against the ground, waiting for them to get up.

Scrunching her face up at the light show from two transformations becoming undone, the elite teacher watched both girls stretch slightly. Back in their short uniforms, Rin felt her headache come in full force. Haruka's outfit looked even _shorter _than normal_,_ and Hikage had various cuts on her tight top. In the back of her mind, Suzune wondered if they even wore bra's under them. 'Probably not.' She knew how obsessed they were with Naruto. Typically, emotions weren't something evil shinobi were meant to show off. These girls thrived on their emotions though. Yes, even Hikage, the 'emotionless' girl who sounded bored unless Naruto was brought up.

"Naruto-kun, thanks for being a comfortable chair." She rested her hand on his thigh, making Hikage give her full attention as she was previously spaced out.

"If that hand goes any higher, you'll lose it." The snake-like shinobi told Haruka with a dead look on her face. Haruka removed it slightly, which made Hikage look away. Suddenly, Haruka's hand struck out and landed on Naruto's crotch. Hikage jumped up quickly.

"Enough! You annoying girls have to stop! Naruto! Get up!" Rin shouted to the trio under her command.

Naruto rose to his feet with vigor, his face crimson from Haruka's hand placement.

"Follow me. Naruto, if you fall asleep during my lesson I'll make sure you practice hiding underwater for three days straight." It seemed like an empty threat because of the absurdity, but no. She was serious.

"Suzune-sensei I won't!" He called out, standing next to her and leaving the girls behind. The two gave each other a small dirty look before following their teacher and classmate.

"Today I'll be covering stealth and trap making again, I don't care how many times we go over the same lesson, I'll hammer it into your brains." She delivered her words with natural iciness.

Naruto's head dropped in defeat.

* * *

Haruka observed Naruto during the entire lecture. She wouldn't quite say she was _obsessed_ with him but interested was not strong enough to describe it. Her only friend was such a mysterious puzzle. Haruka enjoyed puzzles. The way he moved, talked and acted was all so mature at times that it fascinated her. Oh, she was aware that he doesn't go all out on either her or Hikage during their spars or when they gang up on him. Haruka didn't care though, she liked that side of him. He never wanted to actually hurt them, Naruto was not like her father.

She was jealous. She admits that only to herself. Every night she hears Naruto and Hikage talking in their room. Whether it be mundane or silly topics, it didn't matter. They enjoyed being with each other. She wanted that. She knew they were young, yet she wanted Naruto to talk to her like that.

Teasing him and messing around made her happy, she would never want anyone to replace him as her friend. Suzune-sensei said relationships are frowned upon as shinobi, she would normally agree. Having bonds are something for others to exploit, people were so so _easy_ to manipulate. Haruka knew that well. When it came to Naruto though, she couldn't follow that thought process. It was illogical, and as a intelligent girl she knew she shouldn't act like this. But...

Haruka didn't care. She had no childhood outside of a mother who kept her inside every day and a father who would rather cheat on her mother than be home. She needed a connection with someone, and Naruto was the one. Haruka wasn't an idiot, she knew how he loved Hikage. Whenever he looked at the girl he would get embarrassed, and to some degree she understood. She heard how they left the orphanage together, surviving on the streets and eventually taken under the care of a gang leader. They were connected forever, and that thought hurt her. Her mind constantly assaulted her with "what if's". What if her mother let her play with Naruto? What if Naruto never met Hikage? What if she was in Hikage's position? What if Naruto never loved her like Hikage?

She wanted that. Love. She heard her mother say she loved her father. That was a lie, they both despised each other. Fake smiles and all. With Naruto, she wanted that. They've only truly known each other for months when compared to Hikage's time with him, but she treasured every minute. He was so open with her, telling her whatever she asked. She was a liar, just like her father. She'll never forget lying to his face over her admission to the school. Would Naruto hate her due to her lies? Would he hate her if he found out how she struggles with the want to manipulate _many_ individuals for her own selfish reasons?

From the bottom of her cold heart, she truly hoped he wouldn't hate her. Haruka never wanted to lose to Hikage, never. Though second place is better than never placing at all. She could never steal him away from the girl, oh how she wished it was possible. Her strongest chemical or hypnosis drug would never break through Naruto's love for Hikage. She came to terms with that. Sometimes she'd show him that fake smile that attached itself to her face for eleven years before Naruto allowed her to be herself. Haruka hated herself in those moments. When around Naruto, all she felt was regret for her actions and a longing to be better.

'Is this love?' Haruka's green eyes sought out Naruto's. The whiskered shinobi looked bored out of his mind. Hikage was obviously spaced out again to his left. Somehow his blue eyes met with her own as he gave her a big grin. Making a fake gun with his hand and pointing it at himself, he pulled the imaginary trigger the second Suzune-sensei turned her back. Haruka stifled a giggle at his actions, he was always so dramatic. Seeing her struggle not to laugh, Naruto reluctantly turned back to the lecture, his eyes oddly spaced out like Hikage's.

Haruka watched him fondly. She didn't care. Young or not. With Hikage or not. She'll do her best to make him fall for her. She knew nothing about relationships, magazines and books only helped so much. Her mother never allowed her to use the computer or watch much television. She'd learn from Naruto. He was only her friend for now, and that was okay. Haruka was a patient girl. She waited years in her personal hell of a home. She had all the time in the world right now.

She would never be a forgotten doll who was left behind.

* * *

The time with Suzune-sensei went by quickly, much to Naruto's joy. It was a Friday night. Normally, shinobi students weren't allowed "off-days" but normal classes wouldn't take place on weekends. Luckily, the buxom teacher told them she had her own mission tomorrow night so they were free from her for a day. Hikage and Haruka were already trying to drag him off to the baths for the night.

'**Naruto, bathe later. We should go somewhere secluded and try to utilize my chakra outside of the seal.' **Kurama instructed the boy. They needed to get a jump start on synchronizing chakra. Sure, Naruto has been doing chakra control exercises and such over the months for his own enormous reserves, but Kurama didn't want one tail of chakra to make the boy blind with rage.

'They aren't going to like that Kurama...' This reminded the bijuu that he was still a fifteen year old teenager here. Not the nineteen year old war hero who was fighting on the moon before being sent away. Kurama growled before addressing Naruto again.

'**It doesn't matter. I'm not going to let you be unprepared for anything in the future. If you manage to hold one tail for thirty minutes straight WITHOUT raging about, I'll even teach you something.' **It was bait, high quality, but bait nonetheless.

'What?! More Ninjutsu?! Finally!' Naruto cried out happily. Every night in the seal Kurama went over every hand seal using its gigantic ones that Naruto mimicked to his best capability. So far Kurama only showed him two techniques, that while basic, they were essential.

'**I'm sure you'll like it more than the **_**Kawarimi no Jutsu**_ **or the **_**Henge**_**, after all you could say it's your specialty.' **Kurama's words were filled with mirth.

"Alright!" Naruto yelled out. Blinking for a second, he forgot himself, because that definitely wasn't in his head.

"Naru?"

"Naruto-kun?"

"What has that cutie so excited?"

"I don't know but I want to find out."

"Look at his ripped shirt, he looks so manly like that!"

The comments rolled in because he brought attention to himself. He promptly ignored the fan girls and turned to the two girls at his sides.

"Hebi-chan, Haruka-chan. I just remembered something really important and I won't be back until real late tonight." He gave them sheepish grin, resulting in two pairs of narrowed eyes taking aim at him.

"You didn't mention this before..."

"Ara ara. Naruto-kun, I hope you aren't trying to escape me."

Naruto shook his head desperately. "No! It really is serious... it's... Kurama, Hikage-chan." He told the green haired girl quickly. Haruka tilted her head in confusion at the name. Hikage had a look of understanding while still remaining somewhat reluctant. She still hated the idea of Naruto leaving her because of his former home. Nodding her head, her facial expression displayed her inner feelings.

Naruto did not care for that look. Taking his hands he pushed her cheeks up again, trying to force a smile. She always became annoyed when he did that, but it made her want to smile. His bright grin always made her feel warm.

"I wish Naruto-kun touched me like that!"

"Imagine... Miyabi-kun and Naruto-kun both doing that to you! They are so handsome!" A girl shouted, making Naruto question them once more. Why the hell did they act like Miyabi is a man?!

"Go ahead Naru. Wake me up when you're back." Giving her a quick hug at her agreement, he turned to an unusually silent Haruka.

"Haruka-chan?"

"Oh. Yes?" She looked up at his call.

"Is something wrong?"

"Of course not, Naruto-kun... I was just..." she shook her head. "Good luck on whatever you have to do with this 'Kurama'. I'll see you tomorrow." With those words Haruka walked in the direction of the community baths. Naruto let out a low sigh.

"Hikage-chan, make sure Haruka is okay. You're both friends ya know? Friends check up on each other." Hikage hummed slightly, neither confirming nor denying if she'd check on the girl.

'**Naruto...'**

'I know I know! Jeez Kurama, why are you in such a rush?'

"See ya later Hikage-chan!" Naruto threw a wave over his shoulder as he ran towards the secret exit of the castle keep ruins. Hikage ignored the girls comments about her Naruto's ripped shirt. His toned arms and stomach belonged to her. Not these first year boring shinobi girls.

'Kaa-san definitely corrupted me.' Hikage thought happily.

Naruto began his exit quickly, uncaring of his clothing's state. If Hikage was allowed to attend classes with her top ripped up, why should he care about his shirt. Rounding a corner, he collided with a body suddenly. He didn't fall, but the person in front of him did.

"Watch where you're going, annoying first year..." The voice trailed off. "Oh... _you." _Naruto blinked at the tone, it was Imu.

The girl stood up fast, adjusted her glasses and gave him a nasty glare. "Heh. For someone called an elite, you run around like a child."

Naruto may have places to be, but he wouldn't miss the opportunity to insult Imu. She started the little verbal war, andhe'd finish it. "Says the "elite" who fell when I ran into her." He finished smugly.

"Listen-" She was promptly cut off.

"Imu. We need to leave." Another slightly deeper voice cut into their small fight.

"Oh! Miyabi-chan, sorry I was trying to put this idiot in his place." Imu replied with a wide smile, eyeing her best friend with a blush.

"Whatever. We have a mission, let's go." She strutted past them in her usual outfit. Not even giving Naruto a passing glance. He noticed them both begin to walk away before speaking loudly.

"Yo Miyabi-chan! Good luck on your mission! Maybe when you're back we can spar again!" The girl stopped in her tracks at his words. She hesitated before looking at him slightly.

"When I come back you won't be able to lay a finger on me..." She told him with a smirk.

"Oh yeah? I told you before didn't it? I'm gonna kick your pretty ass all over Hebijo if you don't stop actin' like that." He shouted at her. Imu was scandalized at his words.

"P-Pretty ass?! Do not talk about Miyab-" Miyabi held a hand up, making Imu stop her upcoming rant.

Turning to face him fully, Miyabi locked eyes with the blond boy. "No interruptions next time then. I look forward to embarrassing you... Naruto." With those clipped words she spun on her heel professionally and left with a disgusted Imu.

"Heh, she totally likes me!" Naruto spoke in the quiet hallway.

'**She likes you just as much as I like the Uchiha.' **

'And what if I was an Uchiha, Kurama?'

'**I would have eaten you.'**

'... That's a joke right? Why aren't you laughing?'

'**I've eaten people before Naruto.'**

'Please say sike...'

The tailed beast didn't say sike.

* * *

The secluded area Naruto chose was actually close to home, Hinata's home. Far from his mother's grave, to avoid disturbing it, he sat in a lotus position and steadily called upon Kurama's chakra. Kurama explained that it wouldn't make him a beacon for every shinobi in the world if the chakra trickled in unlike when he spiked it wildly against the rogue shinobi.

'**Keep your thoughts clear. Do not think of anything negative Naruto. I may not be a being that thrives on hate now, but my chakra in this state is susceptible to emotions like that.' **Naruto gave the mental equivalent of a nod to Kurama, signifying his understanding.

Feeling the weirdly pleasant feeling of the chakra pouring out of his open seal, Naruto felt his teeth begin to sharpen alongside his nails. It wasn't long before the bubbling chakra took form around him, fox-like ears and tail twitching with the wind.

"Kurama..." Naruto noticed his voice sounded deeper, rougher. "That's one tail. What should I do next?" The bijuu was impressed at Naruto's development over the past 6 months. Before that, one tail would have still made him livid, it was simply the nature of tailed beast chakra. It had nothing to do with Kurama allowing him to use the chakra or not.

'**Continue to maintain it. I want you to be able to master one tail so we can move on. Even if we can't synchronize until the future, this is good enough.' **Naruto gave a grunt in response. He did feel a pull on more negative emotions with this chakra bubbling around him.

"Kurama, what would happen if Hikage touched this chakra?"

'**Since I'm not out to cause you harm...anymore... she wouldn't be hurt by it. You were able to distribute my chakra to thousands of shinobi in the past. One tail was enough to protect them from a multitude of attacks.' **The red eyes of Naruto widened in shock. Thousands of shinobi?! A dark grin covered his face.

'**What did I tell you about getting cocky? It seems that woman you call 'Kaa-chan' did a number on how confident you get.'** Kurama wasn't wrong. Hinata didn't want them to be truly arrogant, but her kids were certainly cocky in certain situations. She rubbed off on them.

Clearing his head of apparent past accomplishments, Naruto sat with Kurama for what they deemed as half an hour. The chakra shroud was still holding strong.

"What happens at four tails Kurama?" Naruto was speaking out loud since he was alone in the field.

'**Oh? That'd be telling. I want it to be a surprise.' **Naruto didn't how that sounded, but again, he trusted Kurama with his life.

'**Stop channeling chakra now, I'll help you pull my chakra away. You did well Naruto.' **Kurama meant it. For how different Naruto's body was now, to be able to hold a tail of corrosive chakra was a nice feat.

"It's all because of you Kurama. I should be the one thanking you for the help all the time." He replied to the bijuu sincerely.

'**Feh. Don't get too emotional on me brat. Now it's time to show you a little technique that you fell in love with. Come into the seal.' **Naruto, still sitting, followed the command of his partner.

Opening his eyes, he was greeted to Kurama sitting up with it's hand in a seal that made Naruto feel nostalgic.

"What's that Kurama?"

"**This Naruto... is probably your most useful technique. Made stronger by your already large reserves and my presence. This is the sign for creating **_**Kage Bunshin**_**, the possibilities to use these are endless." **Kurama's almost human hands were fixed into a cross position. **"The seal for this should practically be engraved into your soul. I can't even count how many times you used this jutsu." **Naruto felt offended by that statement but copied the sign and took up a stance by pure instinct alone.

Raising his hands in front of his face, Naruto gave a grin that filled Kurama with a sense of pride. "_KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU_!" Chakra flailed around Naruto's body wildly, the blue aura easily visible. A series of popping noises overtook the previous silence of the seal.

Naruto's blue eyes were wide as he gaped at the clones that surrounded him and Kurama. Each clone looked equally as shocked.

"ALRIGHT KURAMA! I DID IT!" The clones all shouted in agreement, making Kurama's sensitive ears ring.

"**Lower your damn** **voice! I didn't show you this jutsu so you can make me deaf!" **The bijuu ignored the mumbles of apologies from various clones. **"Now, this is only the beginning. These clones..." **Kurama swiped his clone out and crushed a few unlucky clones, they screamed loudly. Naruto watched, mortified.

"I...I felt that Kurama..." Kurama didn't care.

"**You need to practice using this every day. I want you to be able to control the number of ****clones, plan out what they're going to do before hand and work on the memory flow after they inevitably pop." **Kurama raised a fingernail to point at Naruto. His cowering clones were hiding behind the original. **"Until this is second nature to you again, you will be doing this constantly. Understood?" **

"Yes 'Kurama-sama'..." The tailed beast grinned at the title.

"Don't call Kurama that, no way does this fox bastard deserve the praise." A clone whispered.

"**Which one said that?" **The Kyuubi growled dangerously, eyeing the clones with furious red eyes.

"You'll never take us alive! _KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!_" The clone spam begun, Naruto ran around the seal as Kurama swiped at them all.

The great clone massacre has begun, and Kurama will be the victor.

* * *

"Training" with Kurama in the seal for a while tired them both out. The Kyuubi vehemently denied being "too old" to keep up with the younger Naruto, but he knew the bijuu was lying. Checking on the connection, Naruto heard the familiar snores of the gigantic fox carry through the seal. Shaking his head in amusement, Naruto cut the connection and looked up at the sky. The moon was bathing the clearing in its light, it was definitely late.

"Guess it can't hurt to visit home for a little bit..." He was sure Hikage would forgive him.

Making the short journey to Hinata's house, Naruto entered using the key they always hid outside. He noticed the doorknob felt rather loose, but he shrugged and went inside. Kicking his shoes off by the door he went to grab a water in the kitchen fridge. Screaming jutsu's out in his seal made his throat sore in the real world it seemed.

Opening the refrigerator, he noticed there was no water, which was strange. Every couple weeks, Hikage or Naruto would check up on the house. They definitely should have water bottles at least.

"D-D-Don't Move!" A voice squeaked out to him as he felt something sharp press into his back.

"What the hell?" A thief?! In their house?

"I-I said don't move please!" Blinking his shock away, the voice. A female, young too, what the...

"Sorry... I'm going to have to move." Subtly preforming hand signs close to his chest, Naruto substituted himself with a chair in the corner of his vision. Grabbing a kitchen knife with extreme speed, Naruto got behind the figure who was stunned in front of the fridge. He noticed a dark outfit complete with a hood, a classic "thief" appearance.

"Now..." He laid the knife against the throat of the person, he couldn't see any of their features due to the hood, but it didn't matter. Nobody robs his house! "You don't move."

Thirty seconds passed and he furrowed his brow when he felt liquid hitting his hand. Then the muffled sobbing caught his ear and his heart sunk. Who was this person? Retracting the knife, he stabbed it into the wall, making the figure jump. Hinata would have to forgive him for that one.

Reaching for the hood, he pulled it down quickly. Bright blonde hair greeted him. Dirty with filth and grime.

"P-Please don't kill me... I'll do anything... anything." The girl whispered out. Naruto strained his ears to hear it.

"Hey look I'm not going to kill ya..." He grabbed her shoulder lightly and heard her knife hit the floor. Spinning her around slowly, words died in his throat. The hair color, the eye color, the soft but dirty facial features.

'She looks like Kaa-chan...' Naruto's eyes were taking in the comparison.

The dirty blonde girl was shivering in fear, knowing he could easily kill her. "P-Please I'm so hungry! I haven't eaten in a-a couple days, since I gave my food away! There were no wild be-bean sprouts around and I thought this house was abandoned!" She sounded like she was panicking, tears dripping down her face, smudging the dirt on her cheeks.

Naruto released her shoulder quickly and raised his hands to show he wasn't a threat. His heart was tightening at the comparisons to his mother. This was insane... "Look, I don't have my knife anymore! I'm sorry for scaring you, but you were robbing my house." He told the girl who looked like she'd cry again at any second.

"Please I was so hungry! I'll never do it again, just please don't hurt me." Her bright green eyes were closed tightly, fear radiating off her body in waves while she pleaded.

"Oi! I just told you I won't hurt you!" He noticed she looked about a year younger than him. Potentially a fourteen year old girl sneaking into strangers houses and looking for food? That was extremely dangerous in the red light district.

"C-Can I please leave, I will never return I swear!" She cried out, still shaking slightly.

Naruto knew he couldn't leave a girl like this, his mother would haunt him for eternity. 'She really looks like a younger Kaa-chan. It's ridiculous.' He held his hand out to the girl slowly. The blonde opened her eyes and fearfully looked to the hand. Her green orbs flickered from the hand to his face multiple times.

"Wh... What? I don't understand? I can't give you anything, I have nothing but the clothes on my back!" Her face looked sick now. "No... you don't... you don't want _that... _please I'm begging you!" Naruto widened his eyes at the awful conclusion she came to . He retracted his hand fast and shook his head furiously.

"No! No! That's not what I meant! Look I can help you out here, while I don't appreciate you breaking into my home, you need the help." He told her fast, wanting to defuse that whole inappropriate situation. Strangely, the girls messy face hardened a bit.

"I-I don't need pity..." She mumbled almost quietly.

Naruto frowned, it seemed she was prideful despite being on the street. When Hinata found them, they didn't think twice... okay maybe they did, but they were only eight! This girl was years older, she didn't want handouts.

"It's not pity. I just want to help you. I was in the same position as you. Hikage-chan and I were living in an alleyway for a year before Kaa-chan found us. I was just like you, ya know?" He gave her a shaky smile, trying to earn her trust.

Briefly wondering about the names he mentioned she responded slowly. "Just like me? Have you gone hungry for weeks wishing your parents could take you home? To a home that doesn't exist? I was born poor and that won't change!" Her teary eyes snapped onto his downcast expression.

"You've had it tough huh... certainly tougher than Hebi-chan and I..." Naruto had his unique experience in pick pocketing and stealing to thank for that. "I don't care though, I want to help you, so accept it." The fact that she looked like his mother made that want much stronger. The girl was going to argue before his stern glare stopped her completely. Nervously nodding her head, she stared at the ground.

Proud of himself for stopping the little...thief... 'Kaa-chan, I'm even using the nickname you gave us...' He cleared his throat to get her attention. "My name is Naruto and... yeah this is my home. I share it with my girlfriend Hikage-chan. Our Kaa-chan passed away a few months back so we take care of the house occasionally."

The girls eyes were wide at his words, not even realizing he said girlfriend and "our Kaa-chan" in the same sentence. "I-I'm so sorry about your Kaa-chan! Forgive me for coming here!" The streets changed her, but she didn't want to rob a dead mother's home. An abandoned home with no emotional value was better than this. Naruto waved her off.

"It's okay... Kaa-chan would want me to help you like she did for me. She was really amazing ya know..." He stopped himself from remembering hurtful memories. "What's your name little thief?" The blonde looked surprised at the nickname.

"Yomi, Naruto-san." She bowed slightly, showing her manners despite her status.

"No need to bow Yomi-chan. Why don't you take a shower and I'll try to make you something edible." Everything was moving fast, but then again, Hinata did the same with them.

"Are you sure? I have gone some time without doing that, I don't mind." Naruto really didn't want to know if she meant showering or eating, but it didn't matter, he had to help her.

"Yes please, I insist. The bathroom is right up the stairs next to the kitchen. There should be towels and everything in there. You think you'll be alright?" He asked softly.

"Yes. Naruto-san, you are a nice person." He waved his hand again, dismissing the compliment.

"I'm only doing what's right. I'll leave you some of my bigger clothes outside the door. Don't worry how long you take, I'll be here." The younger blonde girl gave a grateful nod and left the room slowly.

Naruto retrieved the discarded knives, palming his face he mumbled to himself. "Really? You were almost robbed at knife point and now you let the thief shower upstairs? Good going Naruto..."

He blamed Hinata.

* * *

Assembling a dish of scrambled eggs and toast from bread that luckily wasn't moldy, Naruto thought it looked pretty good. Plain, but pretty good. Then again, he wasn't much of a chef. Luckily, he found a small bag dropped by the kitchen that must have been Yomi's, holding about 10 bottles of water. He'd obviously let her drink some with her meal. Despite the fact that she stole it from him.

"N-Naruto-san I have finished my shower..." A soft voice spoke to him, making him turn to the girl. She was certainly cute without all the dirt and grime covering her. Bright blonde hair and shining green eyes on her delicate face. Her body, which was also developing like Hikage and Haruka's he thought with a deadpan stare, was covered in a large pajama shirt that was his and a pair of Hikage's small sleep shorts.

'Hikage never even wore those. That girl...'

"Naruto-san?"

"Oh sorry Yomi-chan, you look very cute!" He told her without thinking. Her face flushed furiously at his words.

"Ah I'm, Naruto-san, I'm uh, um." She rambled, grabbing the hem of the long shirt. He realized she wasn't used to such compliments, and he wanted to make her comfortable.

"Look I made you something! It's not much but I used what we had! I think I did a good job." He pointed to the large dish with egg's and bread. Yomi's eyes sparkled and her stomach growled at the sight.

"Are you sure I can eat this Naruto-san? I-I tried robbing you!" Naruto gave a small laugh, confusing her.

"My girlfriend threw knives at me today and my friend helped her. I think what you did hurt me less." Her mouth opened in shock at his response, what was he?

Sitting down slowly and properly, Yomi raised her utensils and began to eat, thanking him for the food again. Naruto leaned against the counter and watched her eat... before feeling like a creep and deciding to keep himself busy by washing dishes or something.

The kitchen was quiet as Yomi hungrily feasted on the simple meal. Her gaze locked onto his back after a couple minutes.

"Naruto-san"

"Yeah?"

"I am finished Naruto-san, thank you for the meal!" He looked at her plate, everything was eaten and the utensils were properly placed on a napkin. Her water bottle was empty as well, not even the cap out of place.

"I hope it was decent at least Yomi-chan. I don't cook often, especially since my school has a cafeteria."

"N-No Naruto-san! It was delicious! Almost as delicious as bean sprouts! I believe the market in town was having a sale on them soon for the spring season. I wish I could have held out longer, but I was desperate and resorted to crime. I can never forgive myself Naruto-san!" Naruto rubbed his neck at her words. Yomi was certainly an odd one. Bean sprouts huh...

"I told you already it's okay, I was in your position before. Except I stole a whole lot more than you did apparently." Yomi weakly nodded her head.

"Well... If that's all Naruto-san, can I please leave?" Naruto didn't like that she worded it like she was held captive.

"Um... I wasn't forcing you to stay but... Yomi-chan where are you going to go?" He was a bit worried about sending her off. It didn't feel right to do.

"I normally sleep under the bridge close to the marketplace to look for sales in the morning or sell scrap metal." She responded politely. Naruto winced at her words.

"I see. How about I help you a bit more?" Noticing her expression darken, Naruto jumped closer to her.

"Wait! It's not a handout! I just want to offer you something." Yomi sat back down in her seat slowly at his words. "Since Hebi-chan and I can't be here all the time, how about you stay here Yomi-chan? I know this is going fast but my Kaa-chan did the same thing for me. I _want_ to help you from the bottom of my heart."

Yomi was in a state of shock. Nobody gave her anything in her life besides scraps and garbage. Now this boy was offering his home? The home she just tried to rob? Was this a facade or was he genuine? She needed to know.

"Naruto-san, I have nothing to give you! How can I possibly pay you back?!" She was a smart girl. Nobody did anything for free, not in this world. That's why her ideology was shattered upon seeking his head shake.

"Nothing at all Yomi-chan. I'm doing this because I want to. My Kaa-chan was... well... a criminal. We have a lot of funds in the bank so the house will be maintained. You don't have to be worried about that." He explained to the shell shocked girl. She rose to her feet suddenly.

"B-But I can't freeload off of your kindness! It wouldn't be right!"

Naruto smiled at her softly, making her face flush. "You aren't freeloading, I want you to take care of this home when we can't be here. I'm in school until summer and then I'll just report to my teacher occasionally." Yomi still looked unsure.

"I... I won't spend any of your money either! I'll be frugal!" Her eyes closed tightly before she felt something touch her head. It was Naruto's hand. The taller teen was ruffling her hair slightly.

"You're such a cute girl Yomi-chan. Don't worry, like I said, I want you to stay here." At his declaration, her eyes teared up again.

"N-Naruto-san!" She tackled him in a hug, her arms secure around his waist. He was surprised before looking down at her with a soft grin.

"I don't know what I'll tell Hikage-chan but I'm sure she'll agree..." He mumbled.

Just then two figures appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. Black and red school uniforms covering their bodies.

"He left us to sneak away with his younger lover. Hikage-san it seems you weren't good enough..." Haruka's teasing voice made Naruto freeze.

"... Naruto..." Hikage hissed out.

Breaking the hug from the now shocked Yomi, Naruto turned to the girls.

"Okay! Wait! Wait! This isn't what it looks like! She only tried robbing me!"

Hikage and Haruka's eyes widened at his explanation.

'**You're telling me... I woke up to you talking about being robbed by a small girl?!' **Kurama's laughter rang loudly throughout the seal. Naruto felt his blood pressure begin to rise.

"Naru..."

"Naruto-kun..."

"Naruto-san..."

'**Hero of the fourth shinobi world war. Hero of Konohagakure no Sato. Master of Senjutsu... need I go on brat? If only your Uchiha friend could see you now, you would never hear the end of it.'**

'Fuck you Kurama.'

Kurama's deep laughter only made his head pound more.

* * *

**AN - **Bit of a shorter chapter but I updated pretty quick! It's not quite a "filler chapter" but nothing gigantic happened besides setting things up such as Miyabi's mission, Naruto transforming and the intro for Yomi.

I don't really know what to use for his shinobi transformation outfit yet besides a couple ideas, if you guys wanna suggest things, by all means please do!

Oh boy, Sage Mode. A couple reviews went back and forth about the chakra and such. Whether or not I use sage mode for the story though, it will be different.

Just gonna let you guys know, I'm a huge fan of the red chakra cloak from before Naruto and Kurama became buds. I'll be utilizing that a lot more in this fic. I've always liked the "initial transformations" in series. Like Kaioken in early DBZ is one of my favorite things despite all the forms Goku gets in the future. It's no different for Naruto, I love his other forms a lot, but the red chakra always made me hype when I was younger.

Guest Review asking if Reo is an OC - yes and no. The name and appearance is made up. The actual principal of Hebijo being Miyabi's father, that's canon.

Bang Shishigou - I love sage mode too believe me, but you're right that Naruto has so many forms that can handle the Senran Kagura universe. At the end of the day, these games were made for pure fan service despite the dark backstories and such for some characters. He won't need to fight Madara and Obito + Kaguya + Sasuke in the span of days in this story so a lot of forms might be overkill lmfao.

Honestly thanks to all of you for the reviews as always. Even if I get one review it makes me happy to read. I will be writing up another crossover soon, so look out for that maybe?! This story will always be my 1000% priority though, I've been wondering for years why there was never a genuinely decent length crossover with Senran Kagura, so I said fuck it and wrote it.

This week's worst girl... Hanabi. She feels so clunky to play as in game (Estival Versus) and she's another senran with a personality that ain't for me. She's cute though. I mean... every senran girl is cute so that's obvious.


	10. Kurama Hates Shinobi

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

Hikage didn't know what she was expecting in their second year at this shinobi school. Missions, close encounters with death, espionage and sabotage? Anything was possible. For the so called group of elites, they were dealing with a different problem.

"Naruto-san, I know I already explained the benefits of a bean sprout rich diet, but please allow me to do it again! You can't keep eating instant ramen alone!"

"Yomi-chan. You already told me about the best place to cultivate, find and buy bean sprouts. I think I get it." Hikage watched her Naruto shakily smile at the persistent blonde girl.

"No Naruto-san, I'm simply looking out for you. Let me tell you again for both our sake!" Resisting the urge to smile at how Naruto's head slumped in defeat, Hikage continued to lounge in their comfortable shinobi room.

Year two of Hebijo was no different than the first one for Hikage. She trained everyday, whether that be with spars against her teammates or Suzune-sensei. Outside of that life was pretty dull. Sure, she loved spending every opportunity with Naruro but lately he's been doing his own thing. It bothered her, but despite her possessiveness, she would never stop him from bettering himself.

'Even doll girl has been doing something in secret...' The snake eyed girl stared at the ceiling of the comfy room. Haruka was a pain in her ass, a gigantic pain. The two shinobi girls were rivals despite the fact that Hikage already won Naruto. To be fair, he belonged to her for years, so it wasn't a fair "fight". That didn't stop Haruka though, the girl used any chance she got to attach herself to Naruto.

Hikage turned her eyes away from the ceiling only to blink at two people standing over her. Naruto still looked the same as ever to her, which was a good thing, but he was a bit taller. The other person was someone Hikage genuinely didn't mind besides her odd obsession with bean sprouts, Yomi. The girl was wearing the same school uniform as everyone else, but the skirt was way longer. It didn't reveal her panties with a gust of wind like Haruka's or Hikage's.

She eyed the girl, ignoring her moving mouth for a second. When she found Naruto with her in their mothers house she was actually angry. Upon hearing his explanation though, she felt something for the girl. The fact that she was so similar to Hinata also affected Hikage. Yomi lived in their house the entire summer, taking care of it to the best of her ability until they returned for a small break from Hebijo. The bean sprout girl was enrolled into the school as a first year due to Naruto's insistence, practically _begging,_ to Suzune-sensei. The purple haired woman grew tired of him bothering her constantly and she finally relented after Yomi expressed interest in joining.

Normally, she wouldn't have been an elite like the rest of them. However, when she was tested in the same way as Suzune's other students, Yomi surprised her. Yomi had ridiculous strength, easily capable of lifting things that made Naruto stare at the absurdity of a small girl lifting gigantic objects. Strength aside, Yomi was smart. She had her moments of excessive speech, as seen with her bean sprout tangents, but the girl was cunning. Equal to Haruka in a way, but less manipulative. She was also vindictive towards the upper class, a side of her Naruto wasn't able to change.

"Hikage-san! Hikage-san!" A soft voice called to her, making Hikage shake her head and finally pay attention. It seems she spaced out again.

"What happened Yomi-san?" She tilted her head towards the blonde girl.

"Hikage-san, please do not let Naruto leave this room. I will run to my room to collect some bean sprouts so he can enjoy his ramen with it." The first year started to move quickly, reaching the entrance of the room in the blink of an eye. "Maybe I'll start leaving some in here just in case! That's a great idea!" Yomi basically congratulated herself before exiting the room so fast that Hikage could barely process it.

"..."

"... I'm not eating bean sprouts she grew in a bedroom." Naruto flatly told his girlfriend. Hikage turned to him finally, her lips pulled up into a smirk.

"We are alone..." The green haired girl told him, still laying down on the couch, her large bust rising with her relaxed breathing. Naruto raised his eyebrow at her words before admiring Hikage as he always did. She also was relatively the same besides a few new additions...

"You actually make those tattoo's look good ya know?" Naruto idly commented as he took in her unique body art. Pure black snake tattoos were on her left breast, shoulder and hip. Her reasoning behind it wasn't to look cool or anything like that, it was due to their mother. Hikage remembers every stab wound their mother suffered at the hands of that rogue shinobi. The main three fatal wounds were in the exact position that Hikage chose to tattoo. This was the only gift she wanted for her sixteenth birthday, and Naruto didn't deny her of that. It was a reminder of Hinata, Hikage would never forget her.

"I know. You make those whisker's look good." Naruto gave a small laugh at her words, sitting on the couch by her legs.

"So what happens now that we are alone?" He climbed on top of her slightly with a smile. "Hebi-chan..." Her piercing stare took in every movement he made. Naruto was straddling her at this point, hoping to tease her.

"... You tell me why you've been so busy lately..." She watched him almost face plant into her boobs at those words. Catching himself so he didn't fall headfirst into Hikage's heavenly chest, he sighed before leaning away from her a little bit.

"I'm trying to work some things out with Kurama... we've spent a lot of time focusing on the _Shinobi Tenshin_. While I don't know how it works fully, Kurama wants me to try something the next time I transform." Naruto explained to her with a thoughtful look. He made decent progress with Kurama over the course of a year. The tailed beast didn't overload him with knowledge or techniques, but Naruto appreciated every moment of their partnership. Kurama was also a big help in finally deciding on an outfit for his transformation. The fox vehemently refused to search his memories for "cool clothing" but gave up after Naruto didn't stop asking.

"Ah." Hikage sounded out, showing her understanding. "You owe me Naru..." Naruto slightly knew what she meant. They've been "physical" with each other for over a year but haven't moved beyond kissing or touching each other. Hikage wouldn't be the type to be interested in things like this if it weren't for the person involved. She loved him that much and wanted to do a lot with him.

Naruto, bless his soul, didn't blush like an embarrassed schoolgirl at her words. He's been changed by the environment, something Kurama said was a good and bad thing. "I know I do Hikage-chan, but are you ready to... move forward?" Don't get him wrong, Naruto was willing to do whatever she wanted, after all he's been forced to endure all the beautiful girls around him everyday for a year now. Yet, he never wanted to rush Hikage. The green haired girl was seemingly content with shoving her tongue down his throat every night.

Hikage didn't respond with words. She yanked him down by his school shirt and connected their lips together. The minute Hikage introduced her secret weapon into their lip lock, Naruto lost the fight.

'I-Is her tongue even human?!' Naruto was thinking through the pleasure of the kiss. Her tongue coiling around his own. She kept her hands locked onto his face, caressing him even with her eyes closed. Naruto reached his hands out and laid them against her breasts. Grasping her chest, he moved his hands in soft circular motions, basically massaging her through her very ripped top. It wasn't long before he was rewarded to a somewhat quiet moan from the self-proclaimed emotionless girl. Over a year of extensive research, Naruto discovered she only wore a bra under her top whenever she felt like it. Judging by her arousal and reaction of her hardening nipples, today she was in a different mood.

Reaching his hand under her shirt, he pulled it up to expose her chest. Hikage was relentless with her kissing, not stopping her fight for dominance despite Naruto's actions. Removing her hands from Naruto's face, she trailed her hands down his chest before resting on the waistline of his pants. Now he knew things were going a bit far considering their current position. They weren't in their room or home, this was in the middle of their shinobi room. He should stop. It wasn't a good idea.

Hikage moaned slightly louder at his actions making him start to lose the rational part of his mind. The fact that her hands were doing their best to begin pulling his pants down, Naruto didn't care anymore. The only thing he was focused on was Hikage now.

'**... Dumbass, look over the couch.' **Naruto's hands froze on Hikage's chest, he even stopped fighting for dominance with her. She didn't seem to mind, but Naruto knew something was up. Kurama always cut the connection when things like this happened, which meant...

"Oh no..." Naruto whispered out through Hikage's fierce kissing. The girl broke the kiss with a string of saliva connecting them at his mumbled words. Her chest was rising and falling faster due to her arousal.

"Naru...?" Her hands paused from her attempts to remove his pants. She watched his face become a decent shade of red.

Raising his head and peeking with existential dread over the couch, he paled at two individuals standing at the entrance of the room. Haruka stood with a huge smile, it was practically straining her face and not in a good way. Yomi, the poor girl was covering her eyes with her hands. Her face was burning hot as she peeked slightly at them. From their position they were able to see the couch quite easily. A bag of bean sprouts laid at her feet, probably dropped from shock at their actions. Usually Naruto and Hikage weren't all over each other around others, so it was a bit of shock for Yomi. Haruka on the other hand...

"Naruto-kun... I hope you weren't going to do anything _drastic_ with her in this room." Haruka's tone was too sweet. "What a crude girl, to still keep her hands on your crotch even as we are talking." She chastised Hikage in an attempt to make her move her hands from Naruto's waist.

Hikage's hand did move. It moved right to her leg where she kept a hidden knife sheathed. Leaning up and throwing the knife at Haruka, Hikage genuinely thought it would connect.

It would have if it weren't for the weird looking machine that popped out in front of Haruka with a massive chainsaw blade. One of her puppet's, doll's, creations, it didn't matter to Hikage. All she knew was the doll girl needed a stupid machine to protect herself.

"Ara ara. Hikage-san, you weren't trying to hurt me were you? I'd be a shame if I had to put you to _sleep. _But I suppose it wouldn't be too bad, I'd be able to take care of Naruto-kun's problem if you were out of the way." Haruka's smile turned dangerous as she focused her attention on Naruto. A very certain part of Naruto that she was able to see from her position.

Naruto sputtered at her words. While Hikage had no qualms with grabbing him and making out whenever, Haruka's words always affected him. Yes, he was with Hikage, but the way Haruka worded things and the downright suggestive tone she had caused some intense reactions.

'**I would cut the connection again, but I want to see how bad this situation could get.' **Kurama was easily amused nowadays.

Hikage slid out from underneath Naruto and stood up to her full height, looking at Haruka with her dead eyes. Haruka looked over the snake girls form before smirking again.

"Oh? Are you going to fight me like that Hikage-san? I don't know if you'd be able to focus when you seem to be a bit _aroused_." At her teasing, Hikage swore to wear a bra more often.

Naruto slowly got up and tried to sneakily make a way to the exit. Yomi was still covering her face and mumbling incoherent words. Haruka and Hikage were having a little standoff, so he should be in the clear. A few steps more and he could hide away for a bit.

"Naruto-kun? Don't tell me you're going to leave so soon? Imagine what all those poor, poor shinobi students will think seeing their precious "Naruto-sama" walking around with such a _hard _problem..." Haruka licked her lips at him, making him choke on his saliva. Yomi gave a small embarrassed yell at Haruka's words.

"N-N-Naruto-san! You can... excuse yourself! I'll make sure they don't kill each other!" Yomi managed to squeak out despite her embarrassment.

"Naru..."

"Don't leave Naruto-kun..."

He knew he'd pay for it in the future. This wasn't the first time, and it certainly won't be the last. He left the room, not wanting to see the potential fight between the two girls.

'Godspeed Yomi-chan...' He mentally prayed for her as he ran full speed ahead to hide out from the approaching storm. He did his best to ignore the obvious problem that was totally Hikage's fault. Naruto began to think of things to kill his arousal.

'**Hehehe, just think of the OTHER time you kissed the Uchiha brat. I remember you were both connected by some weird jutsu and even used the bathroom together.' **Kurama was having the time of its life in that seal as the bijuu laughed at Naruto's expense.

'WHAT?! I kissed him twice?! Kurama! What the fuck!' He froze in place in the real world.

'Keep my memories Kurama, I don't want them anymore!'

'**You can't escape it Naruto, I eagerly wait for the day you remember how you kissed a boy multiple times before ever kissing a girl.'**

Now he felt like he needed to wash his mouth out. Sometimes having a century old fox in your head/seal was the worst thing in the world.

* * *

It only took a few minutes for Naruto to snap out of having a mid-life crisis at a young age before he remembered what he had to do. Outside of training, school and being with the girls, he usually had one more visit every week.

Traversing to the rear of the Hebijo Campus, Naruto came across a moderate sized building. Opening the doors, he was greeted to a sterile smell that made his nose scrunch up.

"Naruto-san? You're back again?" A woman with a pure white nurse uniform greeted him. She was quite beautiful, but then again so were about 99% of the girls he saw on a daily basis, it didn't affect him as much anymore. He gave the black haired woman a small smile.

"Yes, I hope you don't mind Nurse-san..." He never did get her name, but it didn't seem too important. He was only in this medical building for one reason.

"It's never a problem Naruto-san, in fact I'm sure she'd be happy to know she has visitors outside of her teammate." The nurse told him kindly.

'Uh... I doubt she'd be happy about me...' He thought to himself. Nodding his head at the woman, she waved him off as he knew where to go.

Walking down the short hallways, he stood in front of a door that was labeled with a patient number and name. The name is what got to him, Miyabi.

Grabbing the door handle and giving it a push, he solemnly took in the sight before him. The white haired girl would be almost twenty now and a full fledged shinobi, if it weren't for the fact that she was in a coma at least. He only knew the bare minimum about how she ended up like this even after a year.

"You again..." A somewhat cold voice spoke from the corner of the room. Naruto turned his head to lock eyes with Miyabi's closest and perhaps only friend, Imu.

"Yo Imu." He greeted her without the usual barb they spit at each other. "How's she doing...?" Naruto felt bad for the girl, they were shinobi for far longer than he was, in this world at least, but seeing her sorrow over her friend was depressing.

Imu dropped her glare, still not enjoying Naruto's presence entirely, before letting out a sad sigh. "The same as always. The doctor's say they don't know if she'll wake up anytime soon." The glasses wearing girl bit her lip in worry. Naruto turned to look at Miyabi again.

It was crazy to him that such a strong girl got hurt this badly. According to Imu, their entire squad got wiped out by some monster or something. It was supposed to be a straight forward mission but everyone went to shit quickly. Whatever happened at the end resulted in Miyabi's year long coma. Imu wasn't keen on giving him the details and the principal of the school was locked up in his office daily, so he couldn't ask the man himself.

Both shinobi watched Miyabi breathing quietly. Naruto still felt a bit weird around Imu, as she made it clear about her feelings towards him in the past.

"Why do you come every week Naruto? What do you gain from this?" Hearing the voice, he turned to the girl who furrowed her brow at him. He looked down in thought, he wasn't even close to Miyabi, he barely knew her. However, the last words and confident smirk she gave him before heading out to her mission stuck with him. He couldn't get over how such a prideful and headstrong girl was put down like this.

"I don't know Imu. I guess I feel bad for her? She tried to kill me last year sure, but..." He poorly explained. Imu's eyes searched his face before averting them.

"I see... so it's just pity..." She stated out loud.

Naruto shook his head at her words. "Not fully, no. Both you and Miyabi are strong shinobi, you don't need pity. I know you don't see me as a comrade and Hebijo doesn't care about companionship, but I would never wish this on either of you." His explanation made Imu focus her gaze on the floor.

The room became quiet again, the only sound coming from Miyabi's heart monitor steadily beeping. Naruto cleared his throat to get Imu's attention.

"How are you doing Imu? Especially since you know..." It didn't hurt to make conversation with the older girl. Imu adjusted her glasses before looking out the glass window that had a view of the castle keep.

"I... I am fine. I may have given up on being a shinobi... though I feel my reason is sound." She trailed off, gazing at the beautiful campus. Naruto watched her face display multiple emotions, her shinobi status was a tough subject. Instead of continuing without Miyabi, the girl spent her days assisting the medical staff with her best friends health. Her career as a shinobi was stagnant for the time being, she felt this was more important.

"You're a good friend Imu. Sacrificing your career... I'm sure Miyabi is happy to have you around ya know." He grinned softly at her back. "When she wakes up I'll be sure to let her know you were with her everyday as a best friend should be!"

Imu rose a shaky hand to her glasses again, fixing them for no reason. Her back was turned to Naruto, but she didn't notice the glass of the window reflected her image easily. "T-Thank you..." She whispered out and wiped a single tear away from her eye quickly.

Standing up slowly, he gave one last glance at Miyabi's still form before making towards the exit.

"N...Naruto-san." He paused in his walking at Imu's voice. It was still delivered with her usual strict tone, though the bitter coldness was gone. "Do you mind doing me a favor...?" Imu faced him after making sure no tears were present in her eyes.

"I don't mind helping you out. What do you need Imu-chan?" Momentarily surprised at the suffix he attached to her name, she'd let it slide for now she supposed.

"My... my sister. She is a first year student but refuses to show up for certain reasons..." Naruto waited for her to continue, it seemed she was lost in thought. "Sorry. Since I'm with Miyabi-chan everyday, and our parents are away... do you mind checking up on her? You don't need to bring her to school. I just can't help worrying." This Imu was completely different from the harsh girl she usually was. 'Her sister must really mean a lot to her...' Naruto noted mentally.

"No problem. Is she on campus?" Imu shook her head at his question.

"No. Murasaki is at our house in the city, it's not far from the school. I can give you our address, you can visit her this weekend... if that's alright with you..." Imu felt really weird asking him for a favor. 'Maybe he isn't so bad after all.' She thought to herself.

"That sounds good, I'll check on Murasaki this Saturday then." He prayed that Hikage and Haruka didn't find him this time and get the wrong idea.

Scribbling down an address on a piece of paper within Miyabi's room, she handed it off to Naruto. "I appreciate it Naruto-san." Imu gave him a stern look. "Please be careful when dealing with Murasaki, she's very... difficult."

Naruto gave her a dry look. "Do you know the kind of company I'm around everyday Imu-chan?"

"...You're right."

"Well if that's all, I'm going to return before Suzune-sensei threatens me with death again!" He laughed happily. Imu deadpanned at his words.

"Interesting. Good luck Naruto-san." The whiskered boy threw a wave over his shoulder at Imu. The glasses wearing girl sat still in her seat before looking to Miyabi.

"You were right Miyabi-chan... about him. He's very interesting..." Imu's eyes widened when she suddenly remembered a important piece of information. "Wait, how the hell is he going to get in the house?!" She looked ready to jump up before she rationalized that Murasaki is a big girl, she could answer a doorbell.

'I hope she doesn't react violently to him...'

Murasaki was a _unique_ girl_._

* * *

"Where is Naruto?" Suzune-sensei stood impatiently in their shinobi room, the group of 3 "elite" students watched her with averted gazes. The reason for the atmosphere was due to the fight that occurred a while ago and the new addition she brought along with her.

"Um... Naruto-san had an issue, so he left for a bit..." Yomi tried covering for the boy she looked up to. Hikage and Haruka kept quiet, their attention on the girl who was standing next to Suzune with her head down.

"If he doesn't return soon I'll-" Rin's eyebrow started twitching when she heard the loud crash into their shinobi room door.

"I MADE IT! IS SUZUNE-SENSEI... back... yet..." His face paled at being on the receiving end of his teachers glare. "What's up Suzune-sensei? Beautiful weather today, no?" He heard Haruka stifle a giggle at his words. The purple haired woman looked annoyed at his words.

"I explicitly told you all to be here at a certain time. You will be punished for this later." Naruto's sunk over in depression at her words. Yomi was quick to get to his side, loudly asking him if he's alright.

"Enough." Suzune icily rose her voice. "I've brought a new member of your group. I'm aware Yomi has only joined a few months ago, but she is permitted to be here by both Dōgen-sama and Reo-sama." She gestured with one hand to the black haired girl who was watching the floor intently. "She will not be tested, the reasons are not for you four to know. Do not ask." Suzune warned in a clipped tone.

Naruto broke out of his depression at her words and jumped to his feet. Seeing as the girls were just standing around and not introducing themselves, Naruto being himself, decided to break the ice.

"Hey! My name is Naruto, what's yours?" He looked her from head to toe. She looked about their age. Again, he noticed her developed body, there must be something in the water around here. Her black hair was rather long as it was kept tied in a white ribbon and went past her thighs. She was wearing a simple white t-shirt and blue jeans which hugged her curvy form. He couldn't see her eyes since she currently had her head down, but he did notice from her arms that she was rather tan. The last thing he noticed was the hilt of a rather fancy looking sword peaking over her shoulder.

"Hey... did ya hear me?" He inquired with a head tilt. Maybe she was deaf?

"..."

"Uh..." Naruto turned to his group of girls who helplessly shrugged at his situation. Rin didn't offer any help either.

"Do you have a name?" He scratched the back of his head in confusion.

"... Fuck off."

Those words prompted different reactions from everyone. A gasp from Yomi, a chuckle from Haruka, a glare from Hikage, a sigh from Rin and Naruto just stared in shock.

"H-Huh?" Was it something he said?

"I said fuck off." The girl repeated, finally lifting her head to look him in the eye. The shorter girl's dark green eyes bore into his own. Her face would be extremely cute to him, if it wasn't for the snarl overtaking her features.

'**And I thought the white haired tomboy hated you immediately...' **Naruto had to agree with Kurama there.

"I don't know what your problem is. All I asked for was your name." Naruto glared at her lightly, he wouldn't be disrespected by anyone. It wasn't in his blood, nor was he raised to take insults. Hinata would haunt him forever if he acted like a bitch.

"And all I asked was for you to fuck off. Why the hell is there a boy in an all girls school anyway? You lose your dick or something?" Naruto's eyes widened dramatically at her words. This girl...

"Homura." Suzune stopped the girl in her tracks and revealed her name to everyone. "They are a part of your elite team. I don't care if you are friends. However, you are expected to preform adequately with them." The woman's tone made Homura nod her head reluctantly, obviously wanting to insult Naruto some more.

"Oi! You think I'm just gonna take that?!" Naruto yelled as he got close to Homura's face, blue eyes glared into green.

"You wanna take this outside fox boy?" Homura's glare was full of venom. Naruto wasn't even sure why she was pissed at him, all he did was ask for a damn name!

'**She's projecting her troubles onto you. Get used to it, that's how the world works Naruto.' **Kurama lazily told him, the bijuu has seen many people over its long life span act the same way. Humans often had problems that they couldn't deal with and decide to take their anger and feelings out on others.

'I bet she won't be projecting shit when I kick her ass from Japan to America!' Naruto mentally raged. The comment about his lack of a penis seemed to affect him.

Kurama snorted loudly. **'Don't make the same mistake as before. What I mean is don't refer to her ass as "pretty", idiot.' **It was funny when the girls ganged up on him, but Kurama was tired of sending chakra through the seal to heal bumps and bruises.

"What's the matter fox boy? You get lost in my eyes? It's not like you got the balls to actually do anything." Homura gave him a dark smile. Naruto's hands tightened into fists, he couldn't believe this girl was getting to him.

Grabbing the front of the shorter girls shirt, he placed his face closer to her own. Narrowing his eyes into slits he responded back to her taunts.

"Screw kicking your ass, I'm going to shove that sword so far up it that maybe it'll remove that stick you have wedged up there." His glare was icy cold.

"That's it! You're dea-" Homura began shouting before Suzune slammed her heeled foot down onto the wood. Everyone stopped and turned to her.

"You will stop this now. There's a certain degree of professionalism Hebijo prides itself on. What you're both displaying is shameful, Naruto, you especially should know better." At her words, Naruto released his grip on the black haired girls shirt and stepped back.

Homura turned her glare to the floor. Hebijo pride?! If it weren't for... she shook her head furiously, making the other girls in the room watch her curiously. 'I have nowhere else to go, I can't be like this.' Breathing in and out deeply, Homura turned to Suzune for further directions.

"Homura. Come with me, we need to get you a uniform. Naruto, don't let this happen again." Suzune made her classic exit of spinning expertly on her heeled shoes and leaving the room. Homura threw one more dirty look at Naruto before following the woman.

"That was quite the show hmm?" Haruka's amused voice broke the tension. Yomi looked at Naruto nervously.

"Naruto-san? Are you alright?" She hoped he was. After all, they still needed to improve his diet with bean sprouts today.

Hikage moved closer to Naruto and noticed his spaced out look. 'Kurama...' She realized internally. Grabbing his hand, she watched him blink and snap his eyes to her. Blue eyes softened when he noticed her.

"I'm alright. Sorry I got a little pissed." It was immature to act like that, but just like Miyabi, she rubbed him the wrong way. Unlike the white haired girl though, he doubted Homura could back it up.

"Naruto-kun, there's no need to let her words affect you. We all know the truth here, even Yomi-chan." Haruka declared seriously. Yomi and even Hikage looked at her curiously.

"What? Hikage-san as much as I hate to admit it, you are his _girlfriend_, surely you agree?" Hikage tilted her head at Haruka's words.

"Agree with what Haruka-chan?" Naruto had to ask despite knowing he'd regret it.

"Oh, her claim about you having no dick. Believe me, I've seen it. You have absolutely nothing to worry about Naruto-kun." She gave him a pleasant smile. He turned his head upwards to stare at the ceiling. He regretted it.

"Haruka..." Hikage said slowly.

"Haruka-san! That is wildly inappropriate! To discuss Naruto-san's d...d...! I can't even think about this right now!" Yomi's face was so red that steam could probably start coming off it.

"I don't see the issue here? Naruto-kun was so kind to show us before. Those school pants are quite tight Naruto-kun." Haruka winked at him.

"You. Me. Training room. Now." Hikage stated to the girl, getting a malicious smirk in return.

"... Yomi-chan." Naruto whispered as he continued staring at the ceiling.

"Y-Yes Naruto-san?" She still felt embarrassed thinking about his... oh she can't even say the word in her head!

"Tell me the complete history of bean sprouts, leave nothing out." At his demand, Yomi's face lit up in happiness. Naruto briefly wondered if he was going insane.

"Naruto-san! I knew you would come around! It may have taken months but I'm so happy." She cleared her throat, similar to a professor about to give a long winded lecture. "Bean sprouts are the..." Naruto drowned out the words.

He was definitely going insane.

* * *

Looking down at the address scribbled on a small piece of paper, Naruto rubbed his neck at the main issue. It was Saturday now, and while Suzune-sensei wants them all to meet up around noon, he promised Imu he'd check on her sister. Knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell yielded no results. Huffing in slight annoyance, he stepped away from the door to survey the house.

The two story home looked quite average on the outside, with multiple windows covered by curtains, allowing no passerby to see in. Naruto eyes scanned over possible entrances, besides the windows, he had no options.

"When in doubt... shinobi it out..." He mumbled to himself. Kurama was taking a nap as per usual, it was good that the bijuu wasn't awake to make fun of him for uttering such a childish sentence.

Making sure to pick a side of the house that was obscured by a tree, to ensure any onlookers didn't see a boy climbing a building with his feet, he channeled chakra. Naruto didn't even think of the repercussions of breaking into someone's house.

Getting to the second story window quickly, he peered in, straining his eyes to see past the curtain. Whatever room he was by was very dark, which he supposed was a good thing. Lucky enough for him, the window wasn't locked. Grabbing it firmly and lightly sliding it up, he entered it slowly. Mentally patting himself on the back for his stealth skills, he ducked his head into the room.

... And tripped over the long purple curtain by his feet. Tumbling to the floor and pulling the curtain with him, his ears picked up the loud shrill scream from behind him. Oh no...

"Okay! Wait! Calm down! I'm... dammit this fucking curtain!" Naruto wrestled with the curtain that was somehow tangled around his body now. He felt soft objects impact with his back, they weren't weapons surprisingly. They were pillows, genuine pillows being thrown at him. Finally stopping his fussing with the curtain, he turned to the occupants of the extremely dark room. He was glad he pulled the curtain down or he wouldn't be able to see.

"Who are you?! Why'd you break into my room?!" A very soft spoken voice called out to him. Even softer than Yomi's. He squinted his eyes to look at the mass of blankets on the bed. A head was peeking out from them. Purple hair and panicked eyes of the same color greeted him. He knew he had to defuse this situation.

"Imu! Imu sent me! My names Naruto! I'm supposed to check on her sister! Murasaki!" He rushed out the explanation, he didn't want to scare the girl anymore. "Nobody answered the door after a couple minutes, so I decided to make sure everything was okay! I'm so sorry for this." He gestured to the ruined curtain at his feet.

The girl's wide eyes didn't move from his body, she was wrapped in her blankets like a cocoon. Naruto took in his surroundings quickly, the only light coming from the inside of the room was a computer screen. If it weren't the natural sunlight, he'd barely be able to make out her figure on the bed.

"A-Are you Murasaki?" Naruto gave her a nervous smile, hoping to calm her down. 'I'm a fucking idiot, I break into her house and act like that's normal.' He was very glad Kurama was sleeping. The blankets moved slightly, which Naruto guessed was her agreeing to his question.

"Okay... good... Imu has her hands full and wanted me to check up on you since your parents are gone..." Her purple eyes unnerved him. They weren't the same piercing eyes Hikage usually had, they were admittedly making him nervous.

"I-I-Imu sent you..." Naruto barley picked up on her voice. He nodded his head quickly.

"Yes, I'm sorry about breaking in. I'm kind of in a rush today and yeah..." There was no excuse for it.

"..."

"..."

Naruto scratched at his cheek with a finger as he basked in the awkwardness of the room. Why was he always put in these situations with girls dammit! Turning his attention away from the girl, he did his best to take in the room more. Empty bottles and plates were stacked neatly by her desk, her room was filled with various electronics and books. Judging by the stale smell of the room, she didn't have her window open often. It wasn't a disgusting smell, but it was easy to pick up on. Murasaki still didn't speak, she observed him intently.

"Imu-chan... um... wants to know if you're doing okay... Murasaki?" Murasaki looked surprised at the way he addressed her sister, not knowing of Naruto's easy going nature.

"I am well..." Her soft voice carried through the room. Naruto looked relieved to hear that, he gave her a nervous smile that made her duck her head into the blankets again.

"That's good to hear. I'm sure Imu-chan will be happy." He bent down to retrieve the two rather large pillows that were thrown at him. Walking very slowly, as to not intimidate her, he got closer to the bed. Placing the pillows down slowly, he heard her gasp lightly. He cleared his throat to get her attention. "Do you need me to tell your sister anything?"

A shake of a blanket covered head was the answer to the question. Naruto didn't want to bring up her absence at Hebijo. It wasn't his business and the girl looked like she would pass out if he stayed for much longer. Stepping away from the bed, he got closer to the window and crouched down to retrieve the curtain he knocked down. Murasaki watched his actions without a word.

Struggling with putting the curtain's back up, Naruto knew he couldn't just leave them lying on the floor. He may have just broken into her home, but he'd have some class at least. 'I'm basically like Yomi at this point.' Giving a tug on the curtain to ensure they were sturdy, Naruto turned back to the strange girl.

"There ya go. I'm sorry about that again Murasaki. What a weird way to meet someone huh?" He gave her his best smile hoping to make her comfortable. It didn't work. "... Right. I'm going to leave now... through the window since it's um... open. I'm glad you're doing alright." He climbed the window gently, to not disturb the curtain. Looking over his shoulder, he threw her a thumbs up and scaled the house, much to her surprise.

After waiting a minute, Murasaki slowly removed herself from the blanket cocoon. The sunlight shone on her pajama covered form. Nervously approaching the window, she dipped her head out and looked for Naruto. He was gone. Releasing a shaky sigh, she closed her window.

Returning to her computer, she picked up something along the way. It was a odd looking stuffed animal, in the shape of a cartoon bear. She hugged the blue and red bear to her body tightly.

"Bebe-tan..." Murasaki spoke to the stuffed bear with a whisper. "His smell... He smelled..."

Murasaki's face burned extremely bright. She even felt light headed. Burying her face into the soft bear, she squeezed her eyes together tightly.

Due to being in her dark room for so long, her senses were amplified. Her sense of smell was way better than anything else. She didn't understand how she was able to tell what a person was like based on their smell alone, but she wouldn't complain. It was how she judged others, that being the reason why she never wanted any friends. Friends were pointless.

But Naruto... "His smell..." She said lowly to her bear, affectionately nicknamed Bebe-tan.

A very small abandoned side of Murasaki admitted that she wouldn't mind having Naruto check up on her instead of her sister.

* * *

Making his way to back Hebijo and shaking off the awful situation he put himself in, Naruto waited for his teammates to join him.

It didn't take long for the grand doors of their training room to open and the cold visage of Suzune-sensei greeted him. She was alone.

"Suzune-sensei, seems I'm the early one for once." He gave her a cheeky smile, hoping to crack through her stony facial features.

"That's how it should be." Suzune told him calmly. "It's actually good that you're alone Naruto, I have a question I want to ask you..." Her words made Naruto look at her curiously. His eyes widened when she appeared in front of him, fist on its way to his face.

Grabbing the limb in a fierce grip, Naruto planted his feet firmly on the ground.

"Tell me Naruto, what are you?" The woman asked him as he held onto her offending hand. Naruto was lost at her words.

"Eh? I'm... Naruto?" Intelligent as always. Releasing her fist form open palm grip, Naruto watched as she backed away slowly from him. Her massive chest was bouncing with each step.

"The way you fight, the way you move. Elite or not, what I've seen over the course of two years is bordering on being unbelievable." Suzune stayed flatly. "Your _Shinobi Tenshin_, you haven't even attempted to delve into any secret shinobi techniques I've been going over with you all. Why is that?" She watched his face for any sign of deceit. Unknown to her, Naruto was sweating on the inside.

"Don't forget Suzune-sensei, Kaa-chan was training me for years. As for the shinobi techniques, well I haven't really tried to use em' yet like Hikage-chan or Haruka-chan." He shrugged his shoulders lightly. Naruto never revealed his ninjutsu to Suzune, there was never a time when he needed them. His teacher looked displeased at his words, which happened to be her normal facial expression.

"Once the others arrive, you will be attempting to use a shinobi art of any kind. Am I clear?" Her words were final. Naruto gave her a nod, already he was screaming mentally for Kurama to wake up.

"I understand. Although, I don't really need those Suzune-sensei. I can handle myself just fine." He tried playing it off, but Suzune looked angered at his words.

"They are a tool for a shinobi to utilize. You are my student, I won't hear of your death simply because you believed you could "handle yourself" Naruto." He sheepishly smiled at her words.

"You win Suzune-sensei, I'll give it a go." The woman nodded at him before turning to stare at the door and wait for the rest of the girls.

Standing in tense silence, Naruto counted the minutes internally and continued shouting for Kurama. The red doors swung open to reveal the one person he'd rather not deal with.

"Suzune-sensei." Homura greeted, seeing fit to ignore Naruto for the time being. She was wearing her school uniform, it was the same as the other girls, besides Yomi, her skirt being short and revealing. The ornate hilt of a sword was still peeking over her shoulder. She stood to the other side of Suzune, looking at her nails as if she was bored.

"On Sunday there's a fantastic sale Hikage-san, could you please come with me? The more we can carry the better!" The voice of Yomi was heard as the doors opened again. Hikage was at her side, flat expression attached to her face.

"... I guess Yomi-san."

"Oh you are the best Hikage-san!"

Hikage nodded her head slowly before noticing Naruto. Her heart started beating faster as she moved towards him, ignoring everything else at the moment. Naruto grinned at her before she felt face drop in anger.

A shadow came up from behind Naruto and draped their arms around his shoulders.

"Naruto-kun, you're looking handsome this morning." Naruto blushed at the voice speaking into his ear, her warm breath and bust pressing against him was a deadly combination. Hikage reached slowly for her sheathe, making Haruka grin.

"Oh calm down Hikage-san, I was just greeting _my_ Naruto-kun." Hikage's yellow eyed glare was blazing at those words. She walked up to Naruto before grabbing his arm harshly, eliciting a yelp from the boy.

"He's _mine_ doll girl, back off." Hikage pressed Naruto's arm into her own chest now.

"Hikage-san! Haruka-san! Please refrain from hurting each other right now!" The voice of reason was Yomi. Naruto looked at her happily, she was a lifesaver. His arms were going to fall off at this rate.

"Girls." Suzune paused. "Naruto is going to do something for me before I assist Yomi and Homura for today." They all blinked at her words, even Homura turned to Naruto curiously.

Hikage reluctantly let go of Naruto's arm, pecking him on the cheek quickly, much to Haruka's ire.

"Naruto, use your _Shinobi Tenshin_ first." The only male in the room nodded as he reached into the pocket of his uniform pants. Haruka pouted at his action.

"Naruto-kun, I still think you should keep that scroll somewhere _safer_." The busty blonde told him with a suggestive undertone.

"Haruka-chan. For the last time, I'm not putting it in my pants." He deadpanned at the smiling girl.

"It'll be the only thing you got down there huh 'Naruto-kun'?" He heard the voice of Homura comment. Her smirking face made his eye twitch.

"You better hope I don't get the chance to spar with you today 'Homura-chan'." Naruto attached the suffix to her name in an attempt to piss her off. All he got was a smug grin in return.

Shrugging off his annoyance at the younger girl, he stood in front of them and raised his scroll high.

"_Shinobi Tenshin_!" The extremely bright light made everyone close their eyes. Two of the girls were very disappointed they never got the chance to see his process of transforming.

The one man light show died down and Naruto breathed out a sigh of relief. The scroll worked in weird ways, but he was satisfied. His new outfit was much more comfortable than his school uniform. Mostly the pants.

A black and blue blank headband was secured around his forehead. A long dark blue cloak extended out behind him, black flames licked at the bottom of it. Covering his chest was a thin white dress shirt that was opened to reveal his muscled chest and Hikage's locket. Navy colored loose pants covered his lower body, held up by a small white rope. The rope held his trench knives securely. Upon his feet were blue open toed shinobi sandals. Naruto loved these clothes, they were very comfortable, plus his cloak was badass! It took days of begging Kurama, but the fox finally relented to explain the design of it to him.

Hikage and Haruka greedily took in his form, especially his broad chest that was on display. Yomi blushed at how cool he looked and Suzune watched with a passive expression. Homura...

"You look like a delinquent!" The girl remarked, pointing at his unique getup. Naruto grit his teeth at her words, his outfit was awesome!

"... Your words don't bother me when a light breeze shows your ass off to everyone." He told her coolly. Homura looked scandalized at his words.

"W-What?! It does not!" She turned to look at herself quickly. She turned to the other girls to get confirmation from them. Hikage stared blankly while Yomi looked at her awkwardly.

"Homura-san... um..." Yomi started to say.

"Red panties certainly suit your hot blooded nature Homura-san." Haruka gave her a closed eye smile. Homura looked horrified.

"Naruto. Take this." Suzune threw something towards the boy who previously had his arms crossed.

"What's this Suzune-sensei?" He tilted his head at the small scroll. Was something sealed in it?

"Some shinobi utilize summons when performing shinobi arts. Not everyone is able to use these techniques, but it can't hurt to try. These summons are usually figments of your creativity given life by the yin and yang energy we have within us." She explained, making Naruto stare at her with a dead expression.

"Do you even realize how silly that sounds?"

"... Put your energy into the damn scroll Naruto."

Naruto knew he didn't quite have this energy she spoke of but judging by the fact that his _Shinobi Tenshin_ scroll works, it couldn't hurt to try. Opening the scroll, it appeared blank to him. Biting his lip in thought, he figured he'd just pump as much chakra into it as possible.

'**... Naruto what the hell are you doing?' **Kurama's somewhat drowsy voice called out to him. The bijuu noticed a ridiculous amount of chakra being channeled through Naruto's body and even some tailed beast chakra was circulating.

'Don't worry Kurama just trying something out!' Naruto focused hard on the object in his hands. Kurama began to feel a weird sensation.

'**Naruto... Naruto! Stop! Cut the flow of-'** A loud popping sound occurred in the room as smoke clouded the senses of every shinobi present.

"**...Chakra..." **Kurama screamed out loud. Smoke clouded the bijuu's vision.

"K-Kurama?!" Naruto's startled yell made everyone stare at the smoke.

The former gigantic form of the tailed beast sat in front of Naruto. The titanic fox was reduced to the size of a large wolf, nine orange tails waved lazily behind its form.

"..."

"..."

"**...!"**

The room was deathly silent. Even Hikage was wide eyed at the display in front of her. Rin was shocked to the core. She knew many shinobi were able to summon animals of different kinds, but a nine tailed fox?! The color of its evil eye's alone reminded her of a Yōma.

"**Purple haired woman. Explain to me clearly what the HELL these scrolls are!" **The bijuu roared out to the shell shocked Rin. Naruto broke out of his stunned state to approach the fox.

"Kurama! What the hell happened?!" Kurama turned to its partner. It's... tall... partner...

'**No... no no no... NO!' **Kurama panicked internally.

"Kurama? You okay?" The Jinchūriki questioned his nervous partner.

"**I will bijuu bomb everything in sight if I'm the size of a fucking dog, Naruto."** The whiskered boy started sweating.

"H-Hey now. Just don't look down alright Kurama?" He stuttered out.

Kurama looked down.

"**... I recommend putting up a dumb barrier. I'm two seconds away from razing this place to the ground." **

"Naruto... What is this?" Rin barely managed to get out of her stupor. Naruto scratched the back of his head again. 'Screw it...' He thought to himself.

"This is my partner Kurama!"

"**I hate you all."**

Shinobi scrolls were bullshit.

* * *

**AN - **YOOOooooo Kurama is free. Kind of at least. Not much else happening in this chapter besides, surprise, more character interactions and such. I don't plan on writing out any lemons until they are in their 3rd year and after. I never felt comfortable reading stories where Naruto is like 12-13 and banging all these girls in the village.

Yes Naruto kissed Sasuke more than once, it was filler but are you really a Naruto fan if you didn't suffer through eternal filler hell for years?

Naruto's shinobi outfit - The cloak is a different color but shares the design of his sage mode one. His actual outfit is a reference to Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, it's a variation costume for his sage mode moveset!

Murasaki - I introduced her early. Yes she's able to smell a person's personality because of being in her dark room so often. No I can't explain that bullshit at all.

Homura - Okay. Everyone who knows the series doesn't picture Homura as a very mean girl _anymore. _However, this Homura was just picked up by Rin after being disowned by her family and being betrayed by the only person she confided in. She's going through a lot, please be patient with the second best girl in the series :^).

I was asked about a male OC or some companion outside of all the girls Naruto's surrounded by. My answer to that is a big _maybe. _In the future, Naruto will interact with Hanzo, Kiriya and even Ikaruga's brother despite being an "evil shinobi". So while it'd be cool to give Naruto a bro, I don't want to be neck deep in OC's for this story. Hell! A lot of the shit im writing is purely from my imagination. Senran Kagura does a shit job at backstories sometimes, seriously it's slide shows of text thrown at you similar to a visual novel.

Oh. To the people asking about Mirai. Yeah she's adorable and gameplay wise she can be broken. However, thou shall not write romance with a loli in this story - is my unwritten law. Thank you very much.

Best girl has to go to Ryobi this week. All that ass.


	11. Love Never Felt So Good

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

"**Naruto, what did you do?!" **The deadly visage of the majestic tailed beast got into Naruto's face with a roar. What once was a titanic size fox, was now the size of a large wolf. Nine tails continued to sway dangerously.

"Kurama, I'm going to be honest. I have no idea how that worked." Naruto replied with a nervous smile on his face. He was nervous for various reasons, but the pissed off Kyuubi certainly took priority. Reaching a shaky hand out to pat Kurama on the head, he pulled it back when the beasts jaw aimed to separate him and his body part.

"... Naruto this isn't a normal summon." The voice of Suzune accused him. She's seen summons before, she even uses one herself. A talking nine tailed fox that _reeked_ of malicious intent? Rin can safely say this one was new for her.

The shinobi girls all looked equally as confused or shocked. None of them have seen an "animal" talking before despite all the oddities that came along with Hebijo training.

Facing his teacher, Naruto's brain was working overtime. Unfortunately, his brain had no answers. He opened his mouth and closed it multiple times, not wanting to come clean and say "Hey Suzune-sensei! I shouldn't even exist here!"

"**His clan. His hidden shinobi clan used summons such as myself for combat. I've been attached to him to years." **Kurama's tone still hinted at underlying anger, but the Kyuubi still came in to help its partner.

"I wasn't aware of his clan. Naruto is an orphan is he not? Also, how did he not know of shinobi techniques and our energy if he holds such a lineage?" Rin needed answers. Naruto's skill being beyond anything she's seen before and a Yōma-like summon? It was ridiculous to her.

"**Uzumaki." **Kurama growled out with slight spite, the women of that clan were annoying to the bijuu. **"They were called Uzumaki." **Rin noticed the use of past tense in Kurama's words.

"Were?" She inquired. "This is the first time I'm hearing of such a clan. You'd think with summons of your... uniqueness, both good and evil shinobi would know of it." The woman was rightfully suspicious. Naruto kept his gaze on Kurama, genuinely surprised the Kyuubi was covering for him. Not because Kurama didn't care, but rather it seemed like the bijuu enjoyed seeing Naruto in tough situations.

"**Feh. I don't think I need to explain to you the importance of being a "hidden" clan woman. Surely you don't think his clan was going around proclaiming their shinobi status." **Rin's face turned sour at the patronizing tone of Kurama. **"As for why he was clueless about your so called energy and my own shock at the scroll... well... we don't use this nonsense "yin and yang" energy." **This caused everyone in the room to stare questionably at the beast. Hikage already knew about Naruto's chakra, but she couldn't help but want to learn more. After all, Naruto was everything to her.

"**Naruto. Show them." **Turning to the sheepish Naruto, Kurama waited for him to catch on.

"Eh? Show them what?" Naruto squinted his eyes at the bijuu. Kurama's sharpened teeth glinted dangerously at Naruto's confusion.

"**Your chakra! Maybe I have some trouble remembering but were you always **_**this**_** much of a idiot?!" **Kurama had no issue insulting Naruto right now, he turned the mightiest of the bijuu into the size of an overgrown dog!

"Kurama! I'll kick your furry ass into the ground!"

"**I'd like to see you try brat. What are those little knives going to do to me?!"**

"Little knives huh? You're the only little one here right now _partner_."

"**Naruto!"**

"Kurama!"

Hikage stared at the absurd scene of her boyfriend arguing with a talking fox. Homura looked like she was going to jump in and insult Naruto if not for the snappish glare Suzune-sensei gave her.

"They are like best friends, right Yomi-chan?" Haruka asked as she watched the two bicker like old friends.

"I suppose so Haruka-san. Kurama-san did say they've been together for a long time." Yomi fiddled with her long skirt as she took in the interaction. Admittedly she liked how Kurama looked, the red eyed fox was very cute to her.

Haruka hummed in agreement before turning to the silent Hikage and smirking. "Oh? Maybe Hebi-chan over here will have more competition." She moved her foot quickly to avoid the knife thrown by a frowning Hikage.

"Oh my..."

"Naruto. Do what... Kurama says." Suzune pushed her glasses up with a small sigh. Hearing a summoned beast argue with its apparent partner was amusing and all, however she had more questions.

Naruto gave Kurama one last glare before crossing his fingers into a position that his teacher has never seen before. She narrowed her eyes at the strange sign.

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" _Clouds of smoke enveloped the room at Naruto's loud exclamation. It would only take a few seconds for the smoke to clear and the girls were able to take in the sight of many, many Naruto's standing around.

"Oh..." Haruka sounded out with a slight blush on her cheeks. Hikage glared at her again, the snake girl's seen this technique already. Naruto didn't exactly hide it from her.

"So many..." Yomi's eyes moved from each clone, admiring the form of the person she looked up to.

"Heh! So it's a cloning technique then. Psh, I bet all of them are just as dickless as the original." Homura loudly stated, getting a small chuckle from Kurama. Naruto looked betrayed as he turned to the fox.

"Kurama why...?"

"**She's amusing with those comments about your lack of anatomy." **Naruto hung his head in defeat.

"This... technique. It's an illusion?" Suzune scrutinized the uncomfortable clones thoroughly. She circled the ones close by as they shuffled nervously under her gaze.

"No Suzune-sensei! They are all solid. They can take a hit and do their own thing, but after that..." Naruto kicked a clone harshly in the side, resulting in a small puff of smoke. "They dispel." He received many dirty looks from the clones.

"... I see." Cloning illusions weren't new to her. However, solid replicas that were capable of their own actions? That was rare and the possibilities seemed endless.

"**It's called ninjutsu woman. None of that ridiculous yin and yang stuff." **Kurama tails idly twitched. The bijuu was resisting the urge to attack the clones again. Kurama had no idea how Naruto even used a summoning. Did that scroll manage to bypass the seal?

"You mentioned chakra. If he uses this energy, how can he still _Shinobi Tenshin_? Does this mean both energies are fundamentally the same?" She witnessed both Naruto and Kurama simultaneously shrugging.

"We got no idea."

"**Yep. Clueless."**

That was helpful.

Kurama blinked before glaring at the purple haired woman again. **"How do we undo this scroll shit?" **The fox had a way with words.

"... Typically there's three ways. For my own summoning, there is a time limit and the animal itself is able to leave on its own. Are you incapable of doing this?" That'd be odd considering the beast claimed to be attached to Naruto... 'Attached how...?' Rin felt the usual Naruto-induced headache coming back.

"**Of course I can! Do you know who you are talking to woman? I am Kurama! The Kyuubi no-" **A small popping sound was heard as Kurama suddenly disappeared. Naruto held a scroll in his hands, the same one he used to summon Kurama. Only it was tightly closed now. That was the third way. Simple, but effective.

'**You cut my speech off. You'll pay for this Naruto.' **Naruto heard the growl in his head.

'Yeah whatever. It seems like closing the scroll literally sends you back to the seal. How did it accept our chakra anyway?'

'**Our?! I knew it! You did put my chakra into the scroll! Naruto, it's dangerous messing with the objects and techniques of this world. We don't know of the consequences! I've never been able to escape your seal from a basic summoning, not even when that disgusting Madara tried it." **It didn't take a genius to recognize Kurama's hatred for the Uchiha.

'How the hell was I supposed to know?! You keep telling me to overload everything with chakra, so I did that! But... I just added a tiny bit more... of yours...' He admitted to the growling tailed beast.

'**I tell you to do that since I expect no results! Yet, this damn world keeps surprising me with constant bullshit! I could expect the pitiful Ichibi to be summoned from a scroll. Shukaku has less power in its whole body than I have in my fingernail!' **Naruto started to ignore the rant Kurama went on to prove superiority to someone that wasn't even there.

Naruto's head shot up when he felt his clones being destroyed. The feedback of memories he received made him glare at the perpetrator.

"Homura. You wanna get your ass kicked that badly?" The girl paused in her "training" of swinging around her blade to smile at Naruto.

"Is that a threat fox boy? That name fits now, considering you actually summon a fox." She knew she was getting under his skin and that made her smile widen.

"It's better being called a fox boy than a exhibitionist. Look at that short skirt!" Naruto knew he was being hypocritical, Hikage and Haruka also wore their clothes provocatively.

Homura's hand immediately went to her skirt, doing her best to hold it down from a imaginary wind. "S-Shut up! This is the uniform! I didn't choose this." She glared at him with a blush tinting her tanned cheeks.

"Actually Homura-san... There's no rule about skirt length." Yomi commented as she gestured to her appropriate length. Homura had no response to that, her cheeks blazed more at Naruto's loud laugh.

"It wasn't a threat by the way Homura-chan, it was a promise." His grin and teeth looked similar to the fox he previously summoned. Homura shook off her embarrassment before stabbing a nearby clone again. The yelp of pain made her give her own evil grin.

"Let's go then fox boy!" Her arm was firmly grabbed by Rin. The woman was staring at Naruto with an indescribable look in her eyes.

"You will lose. Not only is he more experienced than you... That fox." She paused and pondered her words briefly. "... You wouldn't last a second. Especially without a transformation." The seriousness in the woman's tone made Homura stand down. She knew she wasn't weak, she been training her whole life even if her allegiances were different now. However, if Suzune-sense was uneasy around Naruto, should she be as well...?

"Yeah! That's right! Ex-per-i-ence Homura-chan." He spelled the word out sarcastically for the girl. Homura froze in place at his cocky tone. Flailing her arm out the grip of the annoyed teacher, Homura ran full speed at Naruto. Katana gripped tightly.

Naruto's grin showed off his bright white teeth, it was almost like he was expecting this outcome. He reached to his belt quickly, cloak shuffling with his movement.

*Clang!* Two special trench knives were held in a crossed position as they clashed with her Katana. If he didn't block she'd actually go to kill him. He kept his guard up just in case she tried doing that again.

"You bastard! What's so funny?!" Homura spit out through grit teeth. Seeing his smug face was pissing her off.

"You are. Your attitude. What's the matter? Is that Nodachi on your back too heavy for you to use?" He poked fun at the sheathed blade. Keeping his knives against her weapon, Naruto looked almost casual in his stance.

"That's none of your business fox boy!" Homura pressed her lone katana against Naruto with even more strength, but the teen wasn't budging.

"Maybe that's why you got such a stick up your ass! You can't remove it... just like that sword!" He was cocky, but there was a clear difference in strength between them right now. Homura let out a yell of rage before pulling her blade back and aiming for right between his legs. Naruto blocked it with wide eyes, not expecting her to go for that area.

'**I like her.'**

'... Really Kurama...'

"What's the point in those trench knives if you aren't even going to use em'! I bet you've never fought with them before anyway, that's why all you're doing is defending!" Homura shouted as she put distance between them. It was an ignorant comment, but she was getting worked up now. Naruto heard her comments and raised his knives to his face, admiring the craftsmanship that his late mother gifted him. Use them...

"Homura. You know what I did with these blades before?" The smile was wiped from his face, traces of amusement in his voice were gone as well. Naruto began a slow walk towards the girl who tensed in her stance. His eyes were searching her face intently.

"These blades..." Homura's eyes widened in shock when a clone disarmed her quickly. She didn't even see any behind her. Unless he had them hidden from before! The clone forced her arms behind her back as she struggled helplessly. The original walked closer.

"A man. He was a shinobi." Suzune perked up at the information. "He took my Kaa-chan from me." The distance between the two was closing, it wouldn't be long before Naruto's slow strides reached her restrained form. Homura's heart started to beat faster in fear. Suzune-sensei mentioned that evil shinobi can challenge each other whenever they wanted, should that challenge result in death... so be it.

"I took his eye." Naruto grimly stated before his own eyes darkened. Bright blues seemed dim, and despite only knowing him for a full day, Homura knew the look didn't fit his face. "That's not enough for me... When I saw him stabbing Hinata, I felt hopeless. I'll find him. I'll avenge her." He told her with no emotion. On the sidelines Hikage began to feel... something at his words. This wasn't like Naruto. Even Haruka and Yomi were frowning at the attitude change. Suzune played the role of a silent observer, Naruto may be a gigantic pain in her ass, but she could never deny her interest in him. He was an enigma.

'_**I see this is the result of his upbringing here. Instead of Iruka and the old Hokage, he had a criminal to raise him and Hikage...' **_The way Naruto was acting didn't surprise Kurama entirely. Naruto was full of hate at times in the past. If they weren't partners, the bijuu would be overjoyed at Naruto's emotion's boiling over with hatred. However it was different now. The fox actually cared about him. Kurama knew Naruto would be fine. It was normal for him to feel like this and it wasn't the first time he was overcome with emotion. The boy couldn't be a bright ball of sunshine constantly, he was human after all. _**'I do hope this vengeance doesn't get to his head though. Like that Uchiha...'**_

Homura's body locked up, her mind started to replay events she wished to forget. The blood stained face of the one she trusted and loved. She struggled more against the grip of the clone. A pointless effort. Naruto's grip was inhuman. Was she going to die?

Tears formed at her eyes, but she refused to close them. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her losing her pride. Her pride. That's all she had left! She had no family, no home, no one to trust. Pride. That's all she held dear to her now.

Her breathing became heavier as he closed the distance. In her fear she didn't notice the clones grip slacken, she could have escaped if she tried now. Her eyes, green with fear stared into Naruto's dead blues.

'I... I can't... I can't even use Engestuka... I'm going to die!' Homura only heard the sound of her own frantic heartbeat pounding in her eardrums. Naruto was directly in front of her. He raised the blades to her face.

This was it. She didn't want to die here. She had too many regrets. She had too much pride. But... it was hopeless.

"... It's not over until you've stopped fighting Homura. That's what Kaa-chan used to tell me. You feel hopeless, I see it on your face and in your eyes. I made a promise to my Kaa-chan. A promise to be stronger. Stronger to protect others. Strong enough to make her proud. When I look at _you_, and past the insults, I see someone who's given up." Homura couldn't move, the clones grip was practically nonexistent, but his words were rooting her in place. "We don't know each other, and I know you don't like me. But if you're going to be my teammate, I need you to be _strong_. How can you be strong physically Homura, when you don't even have a goal? You don't need to dream of avenging family like me. That doesn't mean I'll let you drag the people I care about down, all because you lack purpose." He lowered his knives, watching her trembling form. He couldn't tell if it was rage or fear. It didn't matter. Naruto turned his back to her, the clone behind Homura dissipating with a cloud of thin smoke.

All those present in the room watched Naruto walk towards the entrance, not a single one spoke up. Hikage made a move to follow him before Homura's now quiet voice began to call out.

"I..." The girls head was lowered. Naruto still didn't slow his pace to the entrance of the room. "I...I!" She began to raise her voice higher.

"I'll get stronger! I'll be the best damn shinobi around! I... I never want to feel hopeless again! You hear me, you bastard! I'll be the leader here!" Homura's eyes gained a little glint that was previously lost.

Naruto stopped for a second in his step. Turning his head just slightly he was going to speak before deciding against it. He pushed open the large doors and they closed behind him quickly.

"Suzune-sensei!" Homura shouted out, breaking the purple haired woman out of her thoughts surrounding Naruto.

"Let's start training. Now. Please." Homura was determined.

She'll show him strength.

More strength than he's ever seen before!

For the first time since her parents disowned her and she was betrayed by her own teacher.

Homura had a purpose.

* * *

'**Almost making the girl piss herself in fear was a little out of character... Naruto.'**

'...'

'**You may not be the exact same anymore Naruto, but revenge was never your way. Not even when it was justified...'**

Naruto was seated on the top of the dorm building, watching the setting sun as he listened to Kurama.

'... Maybe I'm not the same person you once knew Kurama.'

'**You are. Your priorities may change, and your emotions may run wild... but you're **_**Naruto Uzumaki**_**. Whether or not you get your memories back in full won't change who you are deep down.' **Kurama watched the sunset through Naruto's own eyes. Since the seal was open, the bijuu was able to experience things like this.

'Naruto Uzumaki. Hmph...'

"Naruto-kun...?" His head snapped over to where the voice revealed itself. Haruka.

He said nothing, content in his position on the edge of the roof. His legs dangled over the side aimlessly.

Haruka moved slowly to him before taking a seat to his left. She sat as properly as she could despite her skirt. Turning her gaze to the setting sun, she tried to break the silence.

"So whenever you'd run off to meet this Kurama in the past, it was a fox? Here I was worried it might be another one of your lovers." Haruka turned to the motionless boy with a coy smile. She sighed when he didn't take the bait, teasing Naruto was one of her favorite things.

"Naruto-kun. What happened back there?" She tentatively reached her hand out to place it on top of his own. When he didn't withdraw his own, she knew she should be happy. But she wasn't, she frowned deeply.

"... What do you need Haruka-chan?" He finally turned to her and Haruka was surprised at his face. His eyes. They looked older almost. They were slightly different from the bright blue eyes she loved to watch daily.

Haruka squeezed his hand lightly. "Yomi and Hikage began to search for you. We all went different ways, and it looks like I got lucky Naruto-kun." She tried to force a smile onto her face, but his lack of reaction lessened her fun severely.

"I see. Is Hikage-chan alright?" Naruto asked her, noticing the way her eyes darkened slightly at his question.

"... Why wouldn't she be alright Naruto-kun, she wasn't hurt before?" It stung to hear him ask about Hikage first.

"She doesn't like seeing me act the way I was before." He hesitantly explained. Naruto knew how his little show could have affected Hikage.

"..." Haruka looked down at her lap, removing her hand from Naruto's for the time being.

"... Haruka...?"

"I... I don't like seeing you act that way either. Naruto-kun, revenge... we may be evil shinobi, but it doesn't seem like you." Her eyes traced the pattern of her short skirt as she spoke.

"Maybe you don't know me then Haruka." He didn't mean for it to sound cold, unfortunately it did. It was the same response he gave to Kurama.

"I do know you." She looked up at him. The blonde girl's eyes were fierce now. "You were the first person I've talked to outside of my family. You were the only one to make me feel... normal." Reaching up and touching the large pink bow that was situated in her hair, she continued. "Can you come with me somewhere, Naruto-kun? It should only take a little while to get there if we travel like... shinobi." Haruka's voice turned shy, something Naruto doesn't hear often. The girl is usually completely confident about herself. Giving a nonchalant shrug, he figured it couldn't hurt.

She stood up and offered him a hand, he knew he shouldn't take it, being in a relationship with Hikage and knowing of her jealousy, he couldn't betray her. How would he feel if she held some random boy's hand? He would...

'**Take her hand. You're not having sex with the girl, calm down. Wherever she's taking you must be making her incredibly anxious.'** Kurama had enough of Naruto's worry. He wasn't going to betray Hikage by holding her hand, besides the blonde girl has bathed with him countless times at this point. _**'Maybe I should let him summon me from that stupid scroll to talk with that snake girl sometime...' **_The bijuu supposed it couldn't hurt to tell her how Naruto struggled around Haruka. That would probably ease the green haired brats jealousy a little.

Taking the hand slowly, Naruto watched as Haruka's eyes widened and her face flushed. She probably wasn't expecting him to accept. She wouldn't miss this opportunity though, so she interlocked their fingers together. Giving him a nod, they began to move fast. Naruto was dragged along with her.

Traversing rooftops and streets was easy for them both. Haruka wasn't as fast as Naruto, but considering he didn't know where they were going, she led easily. They dropped down in front of a small area...

"A park? Why are we here Haruka-chan?" He felt her release his hand finally, she moved ahead of him. The sun was set completely, it wouldn't be long before the moon sat high in the sky. He watched her back and swaying skirt as she moved slowly.

She opened a gate that led to the a set of swings in the park. Luckily, the park was empty at this time. The children and parents retreated home for the day, leaving the two shinobi alone.

"... Naruto-kun." Haruka gave him a small smile. Her sultry nature was gone for the time being, she was being surprisingly meek. "Can you... push me on the swings for a bit?" Naruto thought over her strange request. Then he remembered that she's been waiting for this for years.

Haruka seated herself on the swing, the chain holding it up rattled with her movement. She looked expectantly to Naruto who gave her a small nod.

Laying his hand against the swings chain, he gripped it and began at a steady pace. Pulling and pushing the chain, Haruka began to swing gently. The soon to be nighttime breeze was hitting her in the face as she sat there.

"Naruto-kun? You can't push any higher? Don't tell me you were stronger when you were eleven?" Haruka teased him gently, Naruto couldn't help the smile that came to his own face at her teasing.

"Oi... You know I'm strong enough to push you. Unless you gained some weight Haruka-chan?" He jokingly replied, knowing she wouldn't take such a comment personally.

"Haha, you wish Naruto-kun. If I gain any more weight, you'll notice _trust me_." Her voice was laced with suggestive intent, and Naruto's smile only widened as he began to push her higher. Haruka gripped the chains tighter as his speed increased.

They hung out by the swings for another ten minutes before Naruto slowed down.

"Oh? Maybe I did gain some weight if you've gotten tired already?" Haruka gave him a grin as her eyes focused on him. He shook his head with an eye roll.

"I've had a long day Haruka-chan. There's a lot on my mind ya know?" Naruto plopped down onto the swing directly next to her. If she swayed slightly to the left, her body would hit into his own.

Haruka hummed at his words, turning her eyes away from his face to take in the rising moon. The moon... the free moon. She was free now wasn't she? She peeked over to Naruto, watching as he pushed himself very slowly on the swing. Free...

"I envied the moon you know. The freedom it had to rise at night. Sure, the sun takes its place during the day, but the moon would always come out. Shining moonlight down on everyone, nobody could stop it." Haruka began to speak, her voice somber. "I... I know this sounds silly... forgive me-" She was cut off by Naruto swinging into her. The back of his hand grazed her own as they held onto the chains.

"No, go ahead. I'm listening Haruka-chan. I won't judge you." He gave her an easy going smile. Those words. Haruka waited to hear those for some time.

"Naruto... I'm... I'm not the person you think I am." Haruka told him, ignoring her rising dread that formed in the pit of her stomach. Naruto said nothing in response to that. The park seemed a thousand times quieter now. He couldn't even feel Kurama anymore, the bijuu probably cut the connection.

"I didn't get placed in Hebijo because Suzune-sensei was a family friend. Rather, she found me right as I was about to... burn my house down." Haruka turned her gaze to the ground, the rustling of chains was all they both heard before she continued. "My mother and father were awful Naruto-kun. That day at the park, that was the first time she let me interact with anyone besides my father or her. When you told me both you and... Hikage would be my friend. I don't think I've ever felt happier." She smiled at the ground before losing it with her next sentence. "She never let me leave the house after that day. My father, he was a vile man. Being a shady doctor during the day and cheating on my mother by night..."

Naruto watched as Haruka gripped the chains tighter, his face remained unchanged at her story.

"He lied and lied... I hated him. I still do. After Suzune-sensei stopped me from burning the house down... she taught me how to use puppetry and hypnosis techniques. I used those skills to force my father into admitting his crimes. He lost his wife, his job, and they threw him in jail. It was the second happiest day of my life." She told him in a shaky voice, wavering with emotion. "Then, my mother wouldn't let me leave whatsoever. She forced me into my room for hours. I could only leave when she would dress me up like a... doll and have her 'photoshoots'." Haruka bitterly explained. "Day after day I was reaching my boiling point. Finally I snapped and controlled my mother the same way. Instead of making her leave or killing her, I made her serve me. As a doll. My personal doll to do whatever I wanted." The blonde girl didn't dare look up to see Naruto's face.

"... After that night, I realized something. I'm no better than my parents. What I've done to them, what I'm _still_ doing in Hebijo_. _I'm a bad person Naruto-kun, but when I heard you talking about revenge and telling Homura how that's basically your goal... It hurt me." She finally looked up at him, tears leaking out of her eyes. "You are the only one that makes me feel normal Naruto-kun. These past two years, even when I'm fighting with Hikage for your attention, I'm happy. That's why I don't want to see you like that. That's not who you are." Through teary eyes she reached out to place her hand against his own.

"Naruto-kun. I'm an awful, manipulative person. Though every time I'm around you, I want to be better. I can't stand by and watch you end up like me. You deserve much better than that." She tried wiping at the tears with her free hand, but they kept coming. "If you don't want to be friends with me anymore Naruto-kun... after all I've done and trying to take you away from Hikage, I fully understand. I'll... I'll leave you alone outside of lessons with Suzune." Haruka never cried this much, the obvious cause was the pain over potentially losing her best friend, the boy she loved, forever. She tightly closed her green eyes to wait for his response. Her ears picked up the sound of a rustling chain. Maybe he was leaving... leaving her alone as she should be.

Feeling a flick on the forehead, Haruka opened her eyes again to see Naruto smiling softly at her. His blue eyes returned to the way she loved.

"Haruka-chan, stop being stupid. I'm not leaving. You've been through a lot with your family, and while you feel you are a horrible person... you're wrong. You say you want to be better so that's all that matters. Besides you're my friend. And after all, Naruto Uzumaki only accepts the best as friends!" He puffed his chest out in pride, unintentionally using the last name he would once shout from the heavens. Haruka gave a mixture of a sob and chuckle at his words. Naruto moved his hand to her face, wiping at the stray tears that continued to fall.

"Do you think I should stop controlling my mother then...?" Haruka asked him hesitantly.

Naruto frowned at her words now. "I'm going to be honest, your father sounds like an awful person. While your mother certainly isn't much better, wouldn't you feel good if you were the bigger person Haruka-chan? Don't let her make you sink to her level by controlling her. I told you I'd never judge you, and I still won't. This is your decision at the end of the day, but I know you Haruka. You're a good person. Behind all those teasing jokes and questionable hugs you give me, is a girl with a heart of gold ya know?" Still crouched in front of her swing, he let his hand rest on her cheek. "This doesn't need to happen right now Haruka-chan. I won't force you to do anything, it's not my place to make you stop. I'll support you though, that's what friends do. They support each other through thick and thin. No matter what you choose to do, or what choices you make in the future, you're still my Haruka-chan, right?" He closed his eyes and gave her a huge grin.

'My Haruka-chan...' Haruka felt the waterworks start anew, but they weren't from sadness. Never did she value friendship or relationships more than in this moment. Releasing the grip on the chains, Haruka shot forward and tackled Naruto onto the ground of the park.

Sitting on top of the boy, she watched through blurry vision as he let out a small curse at hitting his back against the floor. "Naruto-kun, what about your goal? Your... revenge?" She still had to ask even though her body began to heat up at their position. Naruto's face flushed at the feeling of her body pressed into him before he processed her question.

"I don't know Haruka-chan. I need to find him and make sure he doesn't hurt anyone like he did to Kaa-chan." He paused and reached up to the embarrassed Haruka. "But... I won't put it above you all. I want to protect you girls. Even that pain in the ass Homura. I won't make it my sole reason for existing. I will find him though, that's a promise." His eyes were serious, but not with the same grim look that unnerved Haruka.

"And what if I manipulate you or the others Naruto-kun?" Haruka had to ask. Her upbringing caused her more issues mentally than she could count.

She felt him patting her cheek lightly. "Bad Haruka-chan. No controlling friends! I know you and Hebi-chan don't get along, but deep down I know you have each other's backs. And if you try to do anything silly with your hypnosis... puppets... whatever! I'll be there to flick you on the forehead even harder than before. Got it?!" He gave her a mock glare, making her begin to laugh at his silly answer.

"Naruto-kun, Thank you..." She laid her hands on his chest, eyeing the necklace Hikage got him.

"What for Haruka-chan? I'm just being myself!" He gave her a smirk, earning a very small playful hit to the head.

"That's why I'm thanking you. For being you." Her green eyes shone with an emotion that Naruto has seen elsewhere and it made him both worried and flattered. A deadly combination.

'Hikage-chan looks at me the same way...'

Haruka leaned down and threw her arms around his head, pulling him into her bust. Naruto flailed at her actions, using every ounce of strength he had to break the deadly hold.

"Eh?! Haruka-chan you're gonna suffocate me like that. You're not exactly small!" He yelled out as he took in air greedily. Haruka's grin widened at his words.

"Maybe that's my goal Naruto-kun. Are you complaining about the size of my boobs?" She placed her hands on her own chest, groping herself slightly. Naruto tried averting his eyes anywhere else but that knowing smile on her face brought his attention back to her.

"Haruka-chaaaan." He whined out "You know Hebi-chan is my girlfriend." Naruto reminded her and expected two reactions. For her to either get angry or become silent. He didn't like seeing his friend act that way, but he'd never cheat on Hikage.

He would have never expected Haruka to slide down from sitting on his chest, to sitting directly on his crotch. Naruto deadpanned at her.

"Why?"

"Oh my. It seems someone down here is awake. Girlfriend or not, you seem to be quite _excited_ Naruto-kun." She wiggled her ass ever so slightly on top of him, making him grit his teeth.

'Okay! That's my cue to get up!' Mustering up the willpower of the gods, Naruto shot to his feet as Haruka blinked owlishly at ending up on the cold ground.

"Oh! Look at the time Haruka-chan! We have to train with Suzune-sensei early tomorrow! Why don't we head back now?" Naruto had his back turned to her, hiding his "excitement" due to her actions.

"Naruto-kun just because you turned around doesn't mean I don't know it's there." Haruka teasingly told him.

"It's getting pretty cold out! I think we should go now. Come on Haruka-chan, I'll lead the way!"

"You don't know the way back Naruto-kun. Let me lead." She stepped in front of the boy with her hands behind her back, eyeing him from head to toe. Naruto turned his back to her again, making her start giggling uncontrollably.

"No! I... I have a good sense of direction! It's this way!" He pointed at a random direction in the dark. Haruka shook her head with another fit of laughter.

"Naruto-kun, you still get lost on the way to the cafeteria. How can I trust you to lead me back to campus?"

Naruto indignantly shouted in the nighttime about his lack of direction. Haruka lead him back with a wide smile on her face.

'... Naruto...'

They were evil shinobi. Relationships and friendships were supposed to be seen as negative or pointless distractions. Right now though...

'Hikage... I won't give up on Naruto. Never.'

She was more determined than she's ever been before. Pouring your heart out to someone changes the relationship drastically.

Looking back at the whiskered teen who was childishly pouting at her as she held his hand, Haruka squeezed it tightly.

'I... love him.'

Love _felt_ good to Haruka.

* * *

"It seems Yomi-chan is already sleeping..." Haruka closed the door to her shared room lightly, turning to Naruto as he stood in the hallway. It was pretty late now, getting back to Hebijo took longer than expected. Haruka dragged out their trip to the school, for the sole purpose of spending time with him.

"I already know Hikage-chan is going to be pissed... unless she's asleep..." He whispered to Haruka since the hallways were quiet. The blonde girl shook her head in amusement, not feeling any jealousy towards Hikage in the moment. Why should she feel jealous right now? She's never felt closer to Naruto.

"I'm happy we were able to talk tonight Naruto-kun, and thanks for pushing me on the swings again." Haruka gave him another shy smile, getting a small grin in return.

"We'll do it again sometime. What kinda teenage girl likes playing in the park though?" He teased her again. Haruka slapped him lightly on the chest before reaching her arms around him. Naruto was momentarily surprised at her actions before hugging her back.

They stood like that for what felt like a minute before Haruka broke it and stepped back. She eyed his face for a moment. 'I can't be like my father... even if I envy Hikage. A hug is enough for now.' She wanted to kiss him so badly but it wasn't the time. Haruka hoped there would even be a time in the future. She didn't know how, though she'll hold out hope.

"Goodnight Haruka-chan. I better sneak into my room before I get stabbed by Hebi-chan." Naruto said it calmly, and while Haruka understood Hikage's liberal usage of knives, she wasn't too worried for him.

"Goodnight Naruto-kun. I'll let Yomi-chan know you're okay." She told him quietly, getting him to give her another one of his classic cheesy thumbs up. Haruka watched him get close to his rooms sliding door before breathing in deeply and saying a small prayer. She had to stifle her laugh at his over exaggeration. He locked eyes with her one more time and she felt her body heat up again.

Then he entered his room. Haruka stood in the hallway all alone. Yet, she didn't feel alone for once. 'I have Naruto... and the others...'

Haruka was about to enter her own room to get ready to sleep when she heard Naruto's hushed yell of "Hikage-chan, wait!" and a smile bloomed on her face again. Instead of eavesdropping, she decided to let them have their own moment now. Maybe the green haired girl deserved it.

* * *

"Hikage! Wait! Okay I'm sorry for not telling you where I was going! Put the knife down!" Naruto tried to keep his voice low, but the glare on the face of his girlfriend didn't allow for that.

"Do you know how worried I was? We all looked for you Naru. I can usually find you wherever you are, but for once I couldn't." She lowered her knife slowly, placing it on their shared desk. She was wearing one of Naruto's thin sleep shirts and orange panties. Despite the clothing it didn't make her less intimidating in Naruto's eyes.

Naruto frowned while approaching her and extending his arms. The snake eyed girl didn't waste any time as she latched onto him. Her arms clutched at him like a lifeline. Which to be fair, Naruto was her lifeline. Hooking his arms around her waist, he stood there as she breathed in deeply, feeling bad for genuinely worrying her.

"You smell like Haruka. Naruto..." She looked up at him with slightly narrowed eyes. His face paled at her words before shaking his head rapidly.

"It's not what you think Hikage-chan! She's the one who found me on top of the dorms roof. Then she wanted to go to a park and talk for a bit." Hikage didn't lose her glare at his explanation. "Haruka-chan told me about herself and how she ended up here. I would tell you but... it's personal. Hikage-chan, I don't wanna betray her like that even though I love you." He knew Hikage would get jealous, and he hoped she didn't let that block her rational thought. Naruto never lied to her though.

"What'd you do at the park...?" She had to know.

"I pushed her on the swings and we talked just like I said. She's had a hard life Hebi-chan. If you want to know, you'll have to get closer with her right?" He gave her a big smile, amused at her softening glare.

"Pushed her on the swing? What is she ten again?" Yep, she was jealous.

"Hikage-chan I'll push you on the swing whenever you'd like." She tightened her grip around him before pulling him to the bed. They landed on it together, her body sitting on top of his own. Hikage eyed his school clothes for a second before attempting to take them off, ignoring Naruto's flat look.

"I can take my own clothes off..."

"They smell like doll girls perfume. Get them off." Naruto grumbled as he obeyed her command. It's not like he planned on sleeping in a school uniform anyway. Stripping out his clothes with Hikage as a one woman audience, he laid in only his boxers with a pout on his face.

"I'm sorry for running off... I had a lot on my mind." He told her and she interlocked their hands together. Hikage's usual face didn't change as she laid her head on his chest. Listening to his heartbeat briefly, she decided to ask him some questions.

"Uzumaki. I guess... Kurama meant they were a clan from your world." The situation was still strange to Hikage. Naruto nodded his head at her statement, twirling a lock of her messy green hair calmly.

"Yeah. So that makes me Naruto Uzumaki right Hebi-chan?" He gave her a look that made her feel warm inside. She placed her face deeper against him, struggling to fight the smile from coming onto her lips.

"Uzumaki... I'll be taking that name in the future then." She mumbled to herself, Naruto didn't hear it thankfully. She knew he would tease her for that one. "How did you summon Kurama? You told me there's a seal involved..." Hikage couldn't deny her curiosity over talking to the "summon" who knew Naruto long before her.

"Truthfully, we both aren't sure how it worked out. This energy Suzune-sensei goes on about must be similar to my chakra. Don't worry, that asshole is still in the seal. All I did was channel a bunch of chakra into the scroll, and I may have added a bit of Kurama's." His face was sheepish, knowing it wasn't the best idea.

"Is that how big Kurama is normally?"

Naruto shook his head rapidly. "No no! That damn fox is huge! I bet I can use more of Kurama's chakra to increase the size of the summoning. Does that sound right?"

"How should I know Naru..."

"Ahah. Sorry Hebi-chan..."

Hikage began to draw imaginary patterns into Naruto's chest while she pondered the situation. "And what you said to Homura..." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him frown slightly.

"I... I can't let what happened to Kaa-chan go. He will pay for what he's done..." He told her with a determined face. Hikage hummed lowly at his words.

"You know I'll be there every step of the way Naru. I just don't want you to only live for that. Kaa-san wouldn't want that." It was true. While Hinata held grudges of her own, she'd never want her children being consumed by revenge.

Naruto began running his hands through her hair again as he answered her. "I know. Haruka-chan was worried about me acting like that. I don't even want to imagine how worried Yomi-chan was, that poor girl gets worked up easily." He sighed deeply. "My goal hasn't changed though Hikage-chan. While I plan to avenge Kaa-chan, it won't be my number one priority. You come first. The girls come first. Don't be jealous please, I really care for all three of you, ya know?" Hikage closed her eyes at his words. Yes she felt the telltale pain of jealousy strike her chest, but she knew why Naruto said this. It was just who he was. He wasn't the cold, deadly boy she saw approaching Homura today. Naruto was someone who cared for those precious to him. While she didn't mind the eccentric Yomi being close to him, Haruka was a pain.

"You're too good of a person sometimes Naru..." She whispered and Naruto heard, despite having to strain his ears to do so.

"I'm not. Look what I did to Homura today and not to mention what I plan to do to that bastard." Naruto growled out. Hikage stopped her lazy drawing of patterns on his chest to look him in the eye.

"You are. Even if you plan to avenge Kaa-san and were a little harsh on Homura despite her deserving it. You're a good person." She began to push herself up lightly. "If it weren't for you Naru, I wouldn't be here today. I would have been lost on those streets. You saved me long before Kaa-san found us." Hikage was only inches away from his own face now. "If it weren't for you... I wouldn't _feel_ anything_." _Naruto began to grin at her words. He knew the answer to his next question, but he had to ask.

"What do you feel now Hikage-chan? You know I've always tried to get you feel literally anything ever since we were young."

"Love." The word came out of her mouth with no hesitation. What once was a girl who couldn't even grasp the concept of being happy or sad, was now someone who loved another.

"Love huh? It's a shame you love someone else. When will I meet that special person?" He was messing with her, hoping for her to play along. Hikage wouldn't be playing any verbal games tonight.

"You're an idiot."

"Cold. Very cold Hebi-chan."

"You're _my_ idiot." That was the last thing the yellow eyed girl said before she initiated a kiss.

Hikage wasn't having any of their usual playful verbal fights, even if Naruto always won those. No. She preferred the more physical fights that she reserved for only one person. She always won those fights.

Love _felt_ good to Hikage.

* * *

Yomi was awake bright and early the next morning. Nervously playing with the hem of her nightgown, she waited outside Naruto's room door. She debated on whether or not to knock multiple times, but her nerves wouldn't allow it. After living in his house, which was technically Hinata's, for an entire summer, Yomi felt somewhat close to Naruto. Did she know him as well as Hikage or even Haruka? No. Did she want to? Yes.

Growing up in poverty allowed Yomi to understand others only preformed actions for their own benefit or for pity. She hated pity. She didn't want others to feel bad for her past situation, she was past that point in her life. Rather she had her own goal of helping the homeless who weren't as lucky as her. Hebijo supplied her with a shared room, the roommate being Haruka, and handled the expenses for food and other commodities. During the summer, Naruto practically opened up the door to his home for her with no hesitation. That's what stunned Yomi. After a botched attempt of a robbery, Naruto still wanted to help her. Not to make himself seem like a better person, not because he pitied her and wanted to give her an easy handout. No. He did it because he wanted to. There was no ulterior motive, no tricks. Naruto simply cared.

That's not to say Hikage and Haruka were cold to her. Heavens no. Hikage was certainly aloof and distant at times, but Yomi appreciated the girl for never pushing her away. The same goes with Haruka. Yomi understood that she could be a little overbearing when it comes to her love, beansprouts, though neither of the girls insult or ignore her for it. Naruto even asked her again about the history of beansprouts and other nutritional facts! Even he must enjoy them!

While Yomi knew they were evil shinobi and Suzune-sensei mentioned how their bonds can be turned against them, she wouldn't disregard her relationship with the others. That's why she stood in front of Naruto's door. Haruka told her he was okay, and she wanted to make sure. She had to check on the boy who took her in out of the kindness in his own heart, and the one she not so secretly admires. Naruto was nothing like those _disgusting_ upper class rich people who claimed to help the poor. They were liars. Only interested in lining their own pockets and fabricating stories for the media. Yomi wasn't stupid. That's why she cared about Naruto. He was nothing like those scum.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she extended her closed hand to knock on the door. Rapping her hand slowly against a soft pillow wasn't what she expected. Opening her eyes, she turned red at the emotionless Hikage standing there with raised eyebrows.

"Why are you knocking on my boobs Yomi-san?"

Yomi sputtered complete nonsense at the question. 'I should have kept my eyes open! My troublesome nerves!' She eyed Hikage's sleeping attire which consisted of only orange panties.

"H-Hikage-san where are your clothes?!" Hikage looked down at her own body in confusion. Tilting her head slightly she faced Yomi.

"What? I'm wearing panties... I was naked before." Hikage spoke evenly, not understanding Yomi's questioning.

"But... but Naruto-san can see your..." The tips of her ears were burning red and her face felt hot. Yomi wasn't used to the lack of modesty that most shinobi seemed to have. Or maybe it was just Hikage and Haruka. Although, Homura's skirt was certainly short. Yomi was starting to see the trend here.

"Yomi-san. He's my boyfriend, he's seen a lot more." The green haired girl scratched her head slightly, watching the blonde lazily.

"I-I see Hikage-san... I'm sorry for intruding. Is Naruto-san available ye-"

"Who's there's Hebi-chan?" The groggy voice of Naruto stopped Yomi's questioning in its tracks. He appeared over the shoulder of Hikage and his eyes lit up upon seeing Yomi.

"Ah! Yomi-chan! Come in here." Reaching out and grasping the arm of the shocked blonde girl, Naruto pulled her gently into the room. Hikage locked eyes with the stunned girl and offered a small careless shrug in response.

Dragging her to their bed, Yomi sat on it awkwardly. She couldn't even look down! 'Naruto-san is only wearing underwear...' She may have lived with them for a few months, but they were usually up before her and if they weren't, she never entered their room. Yomi felt her heart beat faster due to her embarrassment. Two half naked people in a room with her was too much right now.

"Cute nightgown Yomi-san." Hikage idly commented as she leaned against Naruto's back. The green nightgown Yomi was wearing covered her body, but considering her bust was equally as developed as most girls Hikage's seen, it didn't hide her assets too well.

"Yeah, green suits you Yomi-chan." Naruto nodded his head approvingly. Yomi felt like she would die of embarrassment here. There's been too many situations in the past few days involving things like this.

"Th... Thank you." She looked down at her lap, furiously blushing. "I came by to check on you Naruto-san, I know Haruka-san said you were okay after you ran off but I needed to." Yomi didn't look up even after explaining herself. Her eyes widened when she felt a hand gently rubbing the top of her head.

"I appreciate it Yomi-chan. I'm alright though. I may have gone a little too far with Homura. I wanted to make sure you girls would be alright when you start joining us on missions. I can't have someone risk your safety for no reason." Naruto told her with an easy going smile, continuing to ruffle her soft blonde hair.

"O-Okay Naruto-san. I'm happy you're alright." She began twiddling her thumbs due to his ministrations. Naruto felt a small pang in his heart as he watched her do that. It felt very familiar to him.

The door to the room opened and closed quickly, Hikage already had a glare up and ready for the intruder. She knew who it was. She did this whenever she wanted to.

"Doll girl. Why don't you knock?" She almost hissed out at Haruka. Instead of a insult back, Haruka surprised her by flashing her a bright smile.

"Good morning! I came to make sure Yomi-chan got over her nerves. The poor girl was standing in front of your room for almost ten minutes before you opened the door. Though I do see the air must be a little chilly this morning, right Hikage-san?" Everyone in the room picked up on her hidden meaning, if you could call it that.

"Jealous?" Hikage's voice was the definition of a person who doesn't give a damn.

"Hmm. Normally I would be, but I'm greeted to a nice treat before breakfast. Naruto-kun." Haruka angled her view down to Naruto's body. Yomi began to blush at the implication. Hikage...

"That isn't for you. He's mine."

"Of course, of course. Yomi-chan certainly doesn't mind the view considering she's basically eye level with Naruto-kun's crotch while on the bed." Haruka's smile widened when she heard Naruto facepalm and Yomi began to stutter again. The blonde girl on the bed threw her face into the pillow to block her vision.

"Yomi-san doesn't care about that." Hikage told her with a small frown. Yomi was pure, she didn't have any inappropriate thoughts involving Naruto. Hikage was sure.

"Mhm mhm, sure. That's why her eyes are peeking at him from behind that pillow. You're right as always Hikage-san." Hikage turned to glare at Yomi who let out a small "Eep!" in response.

"I'm not a juicy piece of steak for people to stare at hungrily ya know..." Naruto grumbled out as he listened to their interaction.

"I can always enjoy a juicy piece of steak Naruto-kun..." Haruka's gaze was dangerous now.

"He's. Mine. Haruka." Hikage yellow eye's were also predatory.

"Lewd... lewd... lewd... lewd..." Yomi began to mumble into the pillow.

"Hikage-san, you would deny a friend if they were hungry?"

"You can starve."

"What a shame. I'd share some of Naruto-kun's _meat_ with you. Maybe."

"LEWD LEWD LEWD LEWD!" Yomi started to get louder as her face was lit up in an atomic blush.

Naruto began to gather clothes to wear after his shower. He was looking forward to breakfast too, he was pretty hungry. 'Which shampoo should I use today? I liked the one Yomi-chan's been using...' The boy began to tune out the chaos occurring in his room.

The door slammed open with a loud bang again, Naruto didn't even acknowledge the noise.

"You fox bastard! I came to... where's your fucking clothes?! Why are they all in here?!" Homura, the new intruder, pointed at the chaotic room.

"Oh Homura-san. What a pleasure to see you so early." Haruka turned to the confused girl with another evil smile. "Tell me, do you like meat?" Homura thought about the question for a second before nodding confidently.

"Any type of meat is my favorite." She replied casually despite the fact that she just busted into a room uninvited.

"How interesting. You see we were just discussing some very interesting meat that I've been dying to try." Haruka's words were ridiculously inappropriate for eight in the morning.

"Haruka..." Hikage started to reach for the knife she left on the desk last night.

"Beansprouts aren't meat... beansprouts aren't meat... Naruto... beansprouts... lewd..." Yomi wasn't making much sense.

"What meat are you talking about? After I kick this bastards ass I'll enjoy some of this interesting meat." Homura was a self-proclaimed meat connoisseur.

Haruka laughed mischievously at her answer. She turned to Naruto only to blink in confusion when he wasn't there. Only a single piece of paper remained on the floor. Hikage was also confused, they didn't even see him leave. Homura noticed their gaze and bent down to grab the paper. Flipping it open there was a small note scribbled.

"I'm never eating meat again - Love Naruto." Homura dryly read it out loud. That bastard. Disregarding meat and leaving without hearing her out?! Unacceptable.

"This is your fault Haruka. As usual, you cause trouble doll girl."

"Don't worry Hikage-san. I'll handle all the _meat_ Naruto needs_._"

Yomi felt lightheaded, it was probably due to her face being stuffed into a pillow and the lack of oxygen.

Homura was extremely clueless. 'Why the hell would Haruka handle his meat? That dumbass can't even eat food on his own?'

Meanwhile, Naruto was whistling a happy tune as he strolled down the hallways. Luckily he had the foresight to grab his scroll on the way out. His transformed outfit covered his boxer clad form for now. He avoided the approaching storm in that bedroom, and he was glad. Putting his hands behind the back of his neck and comfortably walking, he felt good.

"Oh. You going to the showers cutie?" A voice asked him. A voice he dreaded. One he hasn't heard for over a year. He gulped and turned around in pure fear.

Aiko. The mountain of a girl told him with a gigantic smile. Why was she here?! She should have been a graduate by now?! He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Surprised to see me? Despite graduating already, I still report to Hebijo to assist in training the first years." Her eyes didn't hide their intention of admiring his body thoroughly.

Naruto felt like he lost his virginity through her eyes alone.

"A-Aiko... it's nice to see you again. I... I have to go now! The um... people need me..." The girl grinned roughly at his words.

"It's an unwritten rule for underclassmen to follow their superiors Naruto-kun. Come with me for a second."

"I need an adult."

"Oh cutie. I am an adult."

Naruto mentally demanded to see these unwritten rules of Hebijo.

* * *

**AN - **Slower update than usual sorry you beautiful people. Life gets in the way and with college starting again soon. Ew. But here's chapter 11.

Just to address some things. Homura cannot use her sheathed blade yet. She doesn't even use it in canon until her fight with Asuka. She doesn't have her 6 blades yet either, she was using a solo katana against Naruto. It didn't end well obviously.

Yes, Naruto struggles a lot more with revenge here. It's always on the forefront of his mind when he thinks of shinobi, but he'll prioritize the girls first. Even if the other two aren't as close with him like Hikage and Haruka, he will do his best to protect them all. He's still Naruto after all. As for why he did that to Homura, he knew Kurama mentioned her projecting her anger onto him. Since she's going to be on a shinobi team with him, he won't let her affect the other girls he's actually known for longer than a day. It was a small reality check for her. She won't be dying to make out with Naruto next chapter or anything.

Haruka poured her heart out to Naruto but she didn't confess her love to him. She doesn't want to be like her father. Aka a home wrecker. Harems are interesting in a way I guess. I hesitate to call it a "harem" at times. Naruto's not on a journey to add girls to his relationship. It's going to happen because of his nature. It won't be an excuse for him to bang all the Senran girls. That won't be happening bruh. _There's too many_.

Best Girl Instead of A Worst Girl This Week **\- **Katsuragi. The first girl I played as years ago on my friends 3ds. The fact that she uses kicks as the main part of her fighting style is a big reason. Let's not kid ourselves, another reason is her """"""sexual charm""""" no trigger intended. Also, how the hell does her outfit work? Ninja magic? How aren't her nips revealed when the wind blows with a light breeze. Her weapon also reminds me of beowulf from DMC 3, which is one of my favorite games.


	12. Promise Of A Lifetime

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura! **

* * *

"Yo! Suzune-sensei said you needed to see me?" Naruto entered the extravagant office belonging to the head of Hebijo. Reo, the father of Miyabi sat behind the large desk. The years following his daughters coma certainly didn't do the man any favors. The man's usual pristine suit was a bit more wrinkled and his face certainly aged. Despite the image he puts up around their benefactors or his shinobi, he still regretted being a cause of his daughters injury.

"Naruto. We have a few things to discuss. As your second year at Hebijo comes to a close, some things were brought to _our_ attention by Suzune." Reo rubbed at his tired eyes, missing Naruto's confused look.

Our?

"Young Naruto! It's always a pleasure to see you again." A rather upbeat yet deep voice told him. Naruto was surprised at the sudden appearance of Dōgen. He didn't even sense the man nor see him prior to his announcement. Kurama didn't comment on it either.

"Nice to see you as well...?" Naruto replied to the greeting in an unsure tone. Dōgen merely smiled widely at the boy.

"Naruto, or should I say Naruto _Uzumaki_, Suzune has brought some things to light. While she may be your teacher, she reports everything to me, and by extension Dōgen-sama." Naruto tensed at the principals words, his mind already kicking into overdrive for the lies he was about to weave.

"I can't say I was surprised! Naruto here was capable of besting your daughter in combat on two occasions Reo-san. It's not a shock to me that his shinobi lineage spans generations." Dōgen's strangely colored eyes glinted in the darkened room.

Reo flinched at the mention of his daughter before coughing lightly to bring attention away from it. "Yes... Naruto, not only are you apparently from a clan of shinobi. Suzune mentioned a summoning, a very peculiar summoning?" He left out the description that Suzune gave him. Reo wanted to hear it straight from the boy himself.

Naruto forced his hands behind his back, lest they would certainly try to seek out his neck. His habit could come to bite him in the ass here if they discovered he was lying.

"Yep!" He began cheerfully, doing his best to throw them off from the obvious lies. "My clan was capable of summoning unique creatures such as my own Kyuubi." Kurama growled at the claim of ownership.

"A Kyuubi? Is it by chance similar to the ones included in legends and myths?" Dōgen asked with that cheerful smile crossing his features. Reo merely studied Naruto.

Naruto nodded very slightly, preparing another lie. "You got it. Unfortunately I can't really say what my Ku... Kyuubi is capable of though. Haha, we've never truly had to go all out ya know?" His laugh sounded fake even to his ears.

"Intriguing. I look forward to the day when I can see the capabilities of your summoning Naruto-kun." Dōgen seemed almost giddy at the thought, his distraction of the supposed mythical summon seemingly made him forgo judging Naruto's words for truths or lies. Reo still continued to observe.

"Me too. As for my clan, well I'm an orphan. I'm not sure what happened to them or even much about them, but after summoning my... partner I was able to at least get my last name."

'**You're not a very good liar Naruto...'**

'You think you can tell what they are feeling right now Kurama? Are they buying this bullshit?' He questioned internally.

'**All I can detect from the white haired man is heavy regret and sadness. As I told you before... this Dōgen... I can barely sense his presence in this very room. Stay alert. Got it Naruto?.'**

'Believe it.'

'**Never utter those words to me again.'**

"Naruto-kun? Are you alright?" Snapping back to reality, Naruto looked at the concerned face of Dōgen.

"Sorry. Whenever I think about the family I could have had, I get a bit lost in my thoughts." He gave the man a fake saddened smile.

"I understand. However, Hebijo is now your family, right Reo-san?" Dōgen's words did their best to seem reassuring but all Naruto felt was nauseousness. Something was off.

"... Indeed Dōgen-sama." Reo dryly stated, eyes piercing Naruto's face. The gigantic man next to his desk straightened his own colorful suit before admiring the view from the office.

"Naruto-kun?" Dōgen saw Naruto stiffen from the reflection in the window. "While I'd certainly enjoy a demonstration today, along with Reo, we can take a rain check. Rather I'd like to inform you of something before I head out. I'm a busy man after all." The reflection of Naruto hesitantly nodded at his words, making him grin again.

"Whatever..." Naruto muttered, showing his disrespect for authoritative figures even at the worst of times. This didn't deter Dōgen, and if anything it pleased him more.

"This information is classified of course. Suzune only knows the minimum for the time being, but considering your status and ability, well, Reo-san believes you are fit to know. I agree with that line of thinking, seeing as you impress me Naruto-kun." The benefactor of Hebijo praised him yet again. "Within your third year, there will be quite a few changes to the missions you undertake. Up until now, I've seen your groups track record. Simply stealing for corrupt politicians and silencing a few businessmen here and there, child's play." Dōgen's words made the room tense for reasons Naruto couldn't understand.

"... So what do you want from me?" Naruto was blunt, there was no beating around the bush when the man obviously had plans of his own.

Waving his hand dismissively, Dōgen turned to the boy again. "Oh hush. Don't use that tone here, it isn't anything bad. We aren't going to send you on a mission to assassinate groups of people. No... no. We have something a bit more discrete. You know what, Reo-san, why don't you tell him? You are the _principal_ after all." The man's voice was faintly amused, whether that be at Naruto's bluntness or Reo's silence, neither knew.

"Naruto. A school of good shinobi, known as Hanzo Academy is in possession of something Hebijo could benefit from greatly. While that academy holds the image of a regular institution to the public, it's roots are grown from a history of shinobi." The principals tone was serious. "Now that you claim to come from a clan of hidden shinobi... we can have this work in our favor. Your third year will still be spent among Hebijo, however you will be given a mission of extreme importance. Spying and reconnaissance of Hanzo Academy through very specific means." Reo rose an eyebrow at the frown that appeared on Naruto's face.

"Specific means..." Naruto's face scrunched up at the thought. He didn't like where this was heading.

"Yes. You will infiltrate the school under the guise of a student. You are to discover the shinobi students hidden within and report every detail. Your fellow teammates will have their own involvement with this after you're already established as a student." Reo dropped the bomb on the second year student.

Naruto was about speak up about his problem with the mission before Dōgen cleared his throat again. "Naruto-kun, while I know you may not personally enjoy such a mission. You _are_ a shinobi for Hebijo. You cannot deny a mission from the higher ups. This information you gain will be beneficial to the school and for the future of your own career." Dōgen did his 'best' to be sympathetic.

"... You said this is during my third year? I'll be there every day then? What about my teammates? How can I find time to train with them and go on other missions if all my time is taken up by Hanzo?" The question's came pouring out of Naruto's mouth.

"Details details. Everything will be clear when the time approaches. We already have a way for you to enter the school, and your so called clan only makes this situation smoother." Dōgen began his stride towards the exit of the room. "Reo-san will explain more in the future, I'm sorry but I have places to be Naruto-kun. Again, while you don't seem thrilled at the idea, you are a shinobi here." He locked eyes with the narrowed blues as he reached the large door.

"Understood." Naruto got out through gritted teeth.

"Very well. I bid you both a good day. Keep up that training Naruto-kun, I look forward to seeing you and your partner in action." The man left the room, the door closed softly behind him.

Naruto and Reo basked in the silence of the office before the white haired man began tapping on his desk very lightly, getting Naruto's attention.

"I've heard that you've been visiting my daughter." The room went from tense to awkward instantly. The previous questions about Kurama and his mission were gone now. Naruto gave him a small smile.

"I try to go as often as I can. She wanted to kick my ass, and probably still does. Still, I can't help but want her to wake up ya know?" Naruto finally allowed himself to rub at the back of his neck.

"I see... I..." Reo shook his head very lightly.

"You are dismissed Naruto. With this school year coming to an end, you will be reporting to Suzune for training and such during the summer despite classes being over. At the start of your third year, we will discuss your mission more. Do not inform your teammates of your future mission, this is confidential." Reo began to look down at this paperwork, almost ignoring Naruto's presence now. He missed the frown and glint in Naruto's eye.

'Kiss my ass... nobody tells Naruto Uzumaki what to do...'

"Alright. It was nice seeing you again old man. Try getting out of the office more often. Miyabi-chan will probably be able to kick your ass the minute she gets out of that coma if you stay locked up in here everyday." Naruto turned to exit like Dōgen. Reo paused in his writing and signing forms at Naruto's words. He felt compelled to speak up before deciding against it.

'Kurama?'

'**I'm glad you didn't instantly deny the mission and cause any problems. You're a shinobi for this school, you can't pick and choose missions.' **

'The only reason I didn't is because of you. You keep telling me to stay under the radar.'

'**If you bring too much attention to yourself, you know what will happen. It's a bit late for being under the radar but... you deny that mission and it will bring the ire of Hebijo and other benefactors onto you. There's no denying we can blow these people away Naruto. However, what happens when they go after those girls? You don't exactly make your friendships and relationships a secret. That's not to mention all those people we may not know about. Good shinobi, evil shinobi, politicians, governments. Should I go on?' **Kurama's voice was stern, knowing Naruto's nature would make him jump to deny being away from the girls he's grown attached to.

'Spare me the lecture Kurama... I get it.' He sighed lowly and put his hands behind his head, leisurely walking the long hallways of Hebijo. 'It's not always going to be easy to stay hidden Kurama. Dōgen, Reo, even Suzune. They all have plans.' His blue eyes hardened as he stared ahead. 'If they hurt anyone I care about...' He let the threat hang knowing Kurama understood.

'**We are an existence outside of the rules. You'd do well to remember that Naruto. This isn't the Elemental Nations and you are nowhere near capable of taking on every problem in this world. Play by their rules for now. I hate it just as much as you.'**

Naruto didn't respond, his gaze was focused on the clearing visible from his vantage point. Hikage, Haruka, Homura and Yomi were all doing various exercises and training while Suzune spectated.

'Existence outside of the rules huh...'

* * *

"Don't tell me this is all ya got?! Yomi!" Homura shouted as she rushed down the blonde haired girl. They were both in their transformed state and 'sparring'. Homura was getting angry due to Yomi only being on the defense. Six katana blades were somehow held within the tanned girls grip, showing her unique and wild fighting style. Clashing them relentlessly against the gigantic sword in Yomi's gloved hands, Homura started to grit her teeth in frustration.

'How the hell does she even hold up that damn sword?! It's almost the size of her body!' Homura jumped back to observe her opponent. The blonde girl didn't look worse for wear. Her transformed outfit was only cut up a little bit. Homura took in the outfit, and compared to her own, Yomi's was certainly different.

It was reminiscent of a maid, and Homura supposed it made sense. Yomi was prone to clean up after others in the shinobi room. She wore a white/teal dress that revealed a lot of cleavage. Her arms were covered by long white gloves with frilly arm sleeves. Around her waist was a small white apron with a shuriken pattern decorating it. Yomi's belt held a brown bag that no doubt carried ammunition. Ammunition for the large wrist-cannon weapon she used alongside that huge sword. A teal beret was situated on her blonde hair. Under her dress was a pair of white stockings covered by long brown boots. Looking at the outfit, Homura felt a bit inadequate outfit wise compared to everyone else.

"Homura-san, this is a spar. You've been going for killing blows the entire time." Yomi's voice called out to her. Homura stopped lamenting about her plain transformed outfit, which was just her school uniform, to stare at the green eyes of her opponent.

"So? We are shinobi. We aren't playing games Yomi." She scowled at the girl. Wishing the bean sprouts obsessed girl would fight back.

"Playing..." Yomi began. "You're right. We aren't playing..." She began to raise her large sword named Ragnarok over her head. "I'll make the next move then Homura-san." Homura's eyes widened at the energy radiating for Yomi's strangely huge sword.

"_Sigmund!" _Listing her large sword overhead with a yell, it extended to become simply massive. With another battle cry she slammed the large sword down, sending it directly at Homura.

'If I dodge left or right... it'll still do damage to me. The impact once that hits the ground... dammit! I have no choice.' Homura tensed her body and allowed red flames to burn at her blades. Raising all six of them towards Yomi's ridiculous sword, she pushed everything she had into her defense.

"Hikage-san, who do you think will come out of this as the winner?" Haruka watched from the sidelines in her transformed state as well. Hikage was seated on the floor next to her, dead stare on the two girls.

"... I don't know. Yomi's strength is no joke. Homura is skilled though." Hikage mumbled, yellow eyes focused despite her bored tone.

"Mhm. Homura-san certainly doesn't use that brain of her's often but when it comes to fighting she's a major threat." Haruka commented at Homura's rather one sided thinking at times. She's observed her for months, Homura tended to be what Haruka called a "mindless thinker". The girl got flustered easily when the situation didn't call for fighting.

"... Homura should take this one." Suzune commented coolly from the side. Pushing her glasses up, her red eyes watched Homura's arms shake under the pressure of Yomi's sword. "Watch." She commanded the girls.

The pressure from the blade crashing against her defenses caused Homura's clothing some damage. Her top exposed some of her breasts that were wrapped in white cloth. Homura's taste for undergarments was strange to some of the onlookers. The ripped clothing didn't deter her, her modesty was a nonissue right now. With a shout, she pushed up and with a loud clang, she forced Yomi's Ragnarok blade upwards. The blonde girl widened her eyes at the display of power before Homura disappeared in a burst of speed.

Crouched in a low stance behind Yomi, Homura adjusted her blades and screamed out _"Hayabusa!" _Her katana's ignited with her fiery energy as she created a barrage of slashes towards the stunned Yomi. The girl didn't have time to defend with her sword as the uppercut of katana's sent her into the air with a cry of pain. Homura smirked and jumped before slamming her energy infused blades down onto Yomi. The blonde went flying down to the ground with a slam. Her large sword knocked out of her grip.

Homura loosened up to observe the cloud of dirt that formed from the girls impact. Only a second later, her eyes widened when a few of the darts from Yomi's wrist-cannon flew directly at her. Using her blades to smack away any of the dangerous shots, she took another stance and waited for Yomi.

The blonde girl stood up slowly, hand reaching out towards the fallen blade to use as a crutch. Her dresses top was torn. Her pure white bra exposed to the entire clearing, and that was barely hanging on. One of Homura's sword strikes managed to hit one of the bra's straps, resulting in the fabric working overtime to support Yomi's pronounced bust. The normally cheerful girl was glaring at Homura.

Raising her arm with the attached cannon she lowly whispered _"Niflheim..." _as an uncountable amount of darts flew towards Homura. The tanned girl was instantly on the defensive again, making sure none of these shots hit her face. Her clothes weren't safe from the onslaught of course. Rips and tears overtook her transformed state as Yomi continued firing shot after shot.

Growling in annoyance, Homura blitzed the kneeling girl who looked surprised at the frontal assault. Readying another weapon from her satchel attached to the bottom of the dress, Yomi didn't get a chance as six katana's became dangerously close to her neck. Reacting quickly, her previous discarded blade was used to direct those hits away from a potentially fatal wound. Homura certainly didn't play around.

Swinging her Ragnarok in wide arch's at the katana user, Yomi briefly felt frustration at how she began to dance in between her swings. Her large sword was becoming a detriment rather than helping in this situation. A devious idea came to Yomi's mind when Homura stepped back slightly to begin her own offensive onslaught.

Two hands firmly holding the handle of her weapon, Yomi heaved it with all her might at the girl who looked surprised at such an action. The sword flew through the air and if that connected, it had a chance of taking Homura's head off, that was a big _if_ though. Homura crouched low and dove at the girl who still had her arms extended from the throw. Throwing her body at the girl, she forced them both down to the dirt ground. Three of her katana's sought to hold down the wrist cannon while the others went to Yomi's neck to coax out a surrender.

Two sets of green eyes glared into each other before they heard clapping. Both of them turned their attention away from the fight to see a cheekily smiling Naruto. Homura already knew his next words would piss her off.

"Oi. Homura, wipe that glare off your face. It won't work when you got your chest out like that." It succeeded. She released her hold on Yomi and was about to get up to approach the whiskered boy. That's when she felt something press into her lower back, right above her skirt.

"I win. Homura-san." Yomi's steely voice whispered into her ear. Homura felt her blood boil as she glared at Naruto. Suzune sighed deeply on the sidelines. Here they go again...

"You! If it wasn't for you showing up, I would have won this! I had her pinned!" Homura yelled at him, green eyes brimming with anger.

"If you get distracted by a couple of claps and words, that's your fault Homura-chan. You're a big bad shinobi right? Don't let me distract you." Naruto gave her a bright grin, her glare not affecting him.

"Why you-!" She felt the wrist cannon dig into her lower back some more.

"Do you yield Homura-san?" Yomi asked her calmly now. Resisting the fury building deep within her, she gave a stiff nod and felt the pressure in her back disappear. "I wasn't... playing Homura-san. I don't have time for that. Not when I have my own set of goals." Yomi spoke out loud. Homura saw Naruto frown at the girls words.

"It's over... Yomi wins." Suzune-sensei approached the group of three with Hikage and Haruka following quickly. "Naruto. I have to ask that you don't interfere next time. Distractions or not, this isn't an on the field situation, it was a spar." She scrutinized the blond teen.

"Spar? Right... that's why Yomi-chan's clothes are almost gone and Homura-chan here is showing everyone that she's _really_ tan." His comment earned him various reactions.

"Naru..."

"Naruto-kun..."

"M-My clothes! Naruto-san don't look!"

"You bastard!"

Suzune considered taking up drinking as a vice when Naruto was around. Was that not professional? Rin wasn't sure if she cared.

"Regardless of the results, it was still a spar. Do not interfere without my instruction." She gave him a mild glare seeing him roll his eyes. Two bright lights signaled the _Shinobi Tenshin_ of the two girls disappearing. Yomi let out a string of incoherent words as she straightened her long skirt. Homura merely crossed her arms and turned to Naruto with a twitching eyebrow.

"Where were you huh?" A spark appeared in Homura's eye. "Were you sneaking off with that graduate again? Hah! Hikage, I wouldn't trust him." Naruto deadpanned at her.

"Homura... that girl tried to abduct me multiple times, I would not sneak off with her." Naruto didn't even address the other part of her statement. "I was with Dōgen and Reo, not like it's your business anyway." He smiled a bit at her annoyed expression. Homura was too easy to mess with.

"Oh? What did they want Naruto-kun?" He turned to the curious duo of Haruka and Hikage. Suzune gave him a look that strictly told him not to answer that question. He wouldn't... for now.

"It's confidential. You'll find out eventually. Sorry girls." He shot them both a smile that they both knew was mischievous.

'Yup. He's gonna tell us.'

'Not very subtle Naruto-kun...'

The thoughts were relatively similar among the two.

"Naruto-san! Is my clothing appropriate now? I'm sorry you had to see me in such a state." Yomi was madly searching her outfit for any wrinkles or pieces of lint. Her issue with modesty was nonexistent in spars or missions, but when around Naruto it was a different story.

"Yomi-chan, your clothing is always appropriate." He left out the fact that her cleavage is ridiculous when she transforms. "Unlike the other..." Naruto felt the narrowed eyes from his girlfriend and Haruka. "Unlike Homura!" The tanned teen sputtered in denial of his words.

"Naruto, come with me for a second." Suzune called out to him, partly to talk but at the same time wanting to prevent Homura's upcoming argument.

Walking away with Suzune, Naruto shot Hikage a wink, earning him a dry look. He held back a chuckle at Hikage's attitude. His teacher led them to a set of benches at the other side of the clearing. Taking a seat, Naruto waited for the standing woman to speak up.

"..."

"So ..."

"..." She kept her gaze on his face, eyes narrowed in thought.

Scratching at the back of his head, due to the atmosphere, he decided to do what he does best. Break the ice. "You're the one who wanted to talk to me right Suzune-sensei? If this is how all conversations for you go... I feel bad for your friends... or boyfriends." He winced at the smack to the back of his head at the small insult.

"Hilarious. I wanted to... slightly apologize for something Naruto." The look on her face was akin to someone swallowing a lemon. She didn't particularly enjoy that sentence. Naruto's expression properly displayed his confusion making the purple haired woman shake her head and take a seat on the bench. She kept the distance between them very wide.

"I've been informed that you will be undertaking a mission from Reo-sama. While I don't know the details, nor do I wish for you to reveal them, it's partially my fault for getting you wrapped up in that." She crossed her long legs and observed the clearing. Haruka was tinkering with her puppet... robot... creation... and Hikage was watching with little interest.

"Well, you did decide to tell them about Kurama and my clan after all." Naruto pointed out the truth to her. While he knew Dōgen was interested in him, the news about his 'family' and 'summoning' certainly played a factor in this mission.

Looking at her student from the corner of her eye, she coldly responded. "I'm a Hebijo instructor and shinobi. My duty is to report these things to the head of the school. Dōgen-sama happens to be the reason our school gets such an influx of missions. The school comes first." Naruto looked annoyed at her words.

"That's a poor way of 'apologizing' Suzune-sensei." Her words were true, but Naruto thought his teacher would be able to at least keep a few secrets within the group. Patting his knees slightly, he stood from the brief sitting and prepared to walk away.

"Don't expect me to tell you everything in the future Suzune. It's like you said right? The school comes first. Not you." Naruto began walking away from the seated woman. She groaned lowly, that could have gone better.

Biting her bottom lip slightly, she didn't know what to do here. She was an evil shinobi, yet at the same time, these students were _her's. _Whether or not their skills were developed fully under her didn't matter, she was their leader for the time being. Someone they could depend on in a world where evil shinobi stab each other in the back for little to no reason.

'Kiriya... what would you do...?'

* * *

'**Summon me.'**

Naruto appeared in his mindscape the instant he heard Kurama's words. Crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently, he stared at the prone fox.

"And let you make a mess like last time? I summon you one time. Once! And you cause a bigger mess to our shinobi room than ever before. Yomi-chan spent hours cleaning up." He berated the mass of chakra before him.

"**You got a lot of nerve brat. It's not my fault these claws are sharp, and that couch is subpar." **The bijuu growled out. **"Just do it. I want to take in some fresh air." **Naruto still looked skeptical at the fox.

"Kurama... do not leave the campus. I don't think they'll like a huge fox walking around town." He warned Kurama and received a harsh glare as a reward.

"**I am not a child Naruto. Do not treat me as such. If anyone needs to be treated as a child it's you." **

"Yeah yeah! You wanna be summoned or not?! Insulting me doesn't help ya know?"

"**Yes... shitty brat."**

"... Watch what happens when you get out there."

"**Do not let that bean sprout girl go off on a tangent. So help me Naruto..."**

Kurama's answer was given in the form of a strange pull on the seal and a small amount of smoke appeared from Naruto's scroll.

Looking down at the once proud body of the bijuu, Naruto gave a smirk. He knew this would work. Pumping out tails worth of chakra into that scroll would yield a larger summoning. Using the bare minimum...

"**You will pay for this. Mark my words. You. Will. Pay." **Kurama was now tiny in size, almost equivalent to a small dog. The bijuu opened its jaw of sharp teeth to bite at Naruto's ankles.

"Ah! Kurama, what the hell?!" He yanked his leg away from the area Kurama appeared.

"**You want to make me look like a dog, I'll act like a dog."**

"Fox bastard..."

"**Clueless idiot."**

"Stupid-"

"Oh is that Kurama-kun?!" Yomi's loud voice cut off their petty insults. Kurama's red eyes looked panicked at the words. "So cute! Look how tiny you are!" The blonde girl skipped over to Naruto quickly and reached to grab the frozen fox. Pushing Kurama into her covered chest, Naruto started laughing madly.

"**Naruto... help me." **The voice was muffled by the breasts of a female. This was not a situation Kurama had experience in.

"Nope. You bit my ankle, enjoy this."

"**..."**

"Such soft fur! Kurama-kun is so amazing!" Yomi's gushing voice brought the other girls attention to the small gathering.

Hikage was the first to reach them, throwing herself on Naruto's back, he instinctively hooked his arms around her legs. They've been doing that for years, so he's come to expect that action. Haruka walked over with her large lab coat swaying alongside her hips. She fought a frown away from her face at Hikage's actions before turning her attention to the resident summon. Homura scoffed at the group before heading off to train more. She didn't have time for this... despite how cute the fox looked.

"Yomi-chan, you're going to kill Kurama-kun at this rate." Haruka looked at the scene with a amused smile. The fox was practically disappearing into the pillow known as Yomi.

"Oh no! Sorry Kurama-kun." Quickly Yomi placed Kurama down and patted the small fox on the head.

'**The great Kurama... being patted on the head like a pet...' **Naruto grinned at the expression on the face of his partner.

"Wait! Naruto-san! Can you please help me with cultivating my bean sprouts today! Your clones are very useful." Yomi's pleaded with him. He couldn't look away from that begging stare so he gave a slow nod, feeling Hikage's legs grip him tighter.

'Jealous over bean sprouts. Hikage-chan...' Naruto caught Kurama's eyes. The fox probably noticed the spike of emotion from Hikage.

"Alright Yomi-chan we can go get it done. Hebi-chan, you wanna come with?" Hikage was about to agree despite not caring about the activity involving plants before Kurama spoke up.

"**Snake girl. Come with me on a walk." **Everyone looked a bit confused at the command. Naruto instantly was weary, but the serious look shot his way from the tailed beast shut him up.

"Okay I guess. Lead the way... Kurama." Hikage reluctantly removed herself from Naruto's back and stared at the small fox.

"I'll join you both with the bean sprouts. I wouldn't be opposed to a nice _ride_ right now Naruto-kun." Haruka's tone was clearly sexual, and they all picked up on it. Besides one person...

"Oh! Naruto-san, Hikage-san always enjoys your piggyback rides. Do you think I can get one today? I'm... I'm sorry if this is sudden!" Yomi bowed lowly and Naruto sighed tiredly at her words. Looking to Hikage for confirmation, the yellow eyed girl shrugged. It was better to allow Yomi to do that than Haruka in her opinion.

Dropping to one knee, he presented his back to the oddly red faced Yomi. She tentatively approached the whiskered shinobi and placed herself on his back, Haruka pouted next to them.

"I call dibs next time Naruto-kun..." Her words were worded jokingly but Naruto knew she meant it.

"Ahaha, alright. Let's go take care of some bean sprouts..."

"Yay!"

"... Yay?"

The excitement was palpable.

Kurama and Hikage watched them walk into the distance before the fox approached the green haired girl. **"Let's go. Follow after me." **The bijuu didn't wait for a response and Hikage had nothing better to do now.

Walking in pure silence for five minutes, Kurama felt like a dam would burst at any second. Hikage may sound emotionless often, but the fox knew what she wanted.

"**I'll answer whatever questions you have girl." **Yellow eyes widened slightly at those words. How did...** "With an ability of mine, I can sense certain emotions. Your silly claims of having none is comedic at times. You're practically bursting with anxiety right now." **Hikage felt her face become a bit warmer due to Kurama's assessment.

She watched nine rather soft looking tails wave in the air as they walked. Finally mustering up the nerve to speak, she needed to address something that's been bothering her for years. Ever since Naruto found out about Kurama.

"Please... don't take him away." Kurama stopped moving as she whispered that sentence. The calm setting on the outskirts of the campus was only ruined by such a statement. With narrowed red eyes, Kurama wondered what she meant by that.

"**Take him away?" **Two pairs of special eyes stared into each other.

"Naruto isn't from here. I know that. You're the only way that he can potentially go home..." Hikage's previous monotone became slightly filled with desperation. "I... I always said to myself that I want what's best for him..." She gazed down to the dirt path, previous unrecognizable emotions were brewing in her eyes. Kurama sat still as the bijuu listened patiently.

"Can I be honest Kurama...?" The bijuu made a motion with its tails, signaling agreement. "Sometimes... I wish you weren't with him and he would be 'stuck' here. I love him more than anything and I know that's awful to think." Kurama didn't know how to take that but continued to listen nonetheless. "Whenever I think about him and his memories or home, I feel weird." Hikage's face held a painful expression and if Naruto were there, he'd try to remove it immediately.

"**... Naruto and I are attached. It's been this way since his birth, whether I or you wanted it. However, you have to understand that he had people who depended on him, a home he saved and a world he helped unite. Do you think I want him to truly remember everything and spiral into depression? Right now, whenever I tell him about places or people, he almost treats it like a story. A story he's learning from. Naruto cannot fully grasp that it's **_**his**_** life at times. I don't blame him, some of the events sound bizarre but as long as I exist, his memories are safe." **Kurama's words hit Hikage deep. She knew bits and pieces of Naruto's previous "life", but truthfully she didn't dig too deep. He was in _her_ life now and along with Hinata, they had years of memories together. She was selfish.

"He was a hero..." It didn't shock her at all. Her Naruto certainly was a ray of sunshine for a lot of people it seemed. Hikage hated to admit it, but she noticed the changes in Haruka and even Yomi. Hell, even Homura was becoming affected by his presence.

"**Indeed. A war hero and a savior of his own home. Naruto was an important figure. How do you think someone would react to losing a life like that? Hikage. If my chakra synchronizes with his own perfectly..." **The bijuu's visage displayed a hint of sadness, knowing how that could affect Naruto. **"He'd be able to see everything clearly. I don't know how he'd react... especially with the circumstances that brought him here." **

Hikage felt something stirring inside of her chest, it was similar to the feeling invoked by seeing Hinata on the ground slowly dying. "Can you... return to your home? And what circumstances brought him here?" She needed to know. Hikage never wanted to pry too much, but her own fears were bleeding through her emotionless personality. Kurama breathed in deeply at her questions.

"**The only plausible way I can see us returning home is through the help of his... Uchiha friend. Unfortunately, both Naruto and I do not possess techniques to travel dimensions. For all his strength, ninjutsu like that was always out of his grasp. Once upon a time, he was able to be reverse summoned similar to how I come from that damn scroll. That contract has been null and void after his tumble through worlds or dimensions or time, whatever. We still can't be sure what truly happened." **That whole explanation confused Hikage. She wasn't stupid, though she couldn't comprehend people being able to travel dimensions freely. The thought of Naruto not being able to return... she felt ashamed? Yes. Ashamed. Because she felt good about that.

"**As for the circumstances... hah. I haven't even told him everything Hikage. I doubt you'd personally enjoy the reason." **Kurama gave a mirthless chuckle while speaking.

"Kurama. Please tell me... at least some of it." Hikage was really desperate now. "Who did it to him?"

"**You're getting the short version. I warned you, you won't like the events leading up to it. He was fighting a man on the moon, yes this is real, don't look at me like that. The way he got to the moon was caused by the one he was fighting. All I can remember was a bright explosion of chakra and the next thing I know, I woke up to him using my own as a brat again." **Kurama paused to let Hikage digest that information. The fox knew how such a story sounded.

"The... moon. A man on the moon." She looked at the bijuu with a flat expression, Kurama knew that was her standard face though.

"**Yes snake girl. His name was Toneri. There's too many details I'm leaving out for the sake of you not understanding chakra." **Honestly, Kurama wasn't crazy about explaining chakra to other people. Naruto could do that if he wants, it wasn't the bijuu's priority.

"Toneri..." Hikage's eyes were wide, remembering her list of names. All those people he'd mumble about while having nightmares. "He would mention that name when having nightmares. He'd also... say Hinata. Kurama, did he mean Kaa-san?" For the first time throughout their whole discussion, Kurama looked uncomfortable.

"**I know how you are Hikage. I've seen all of his memories. You're a possessive and jealous girl despite the love you both share. Though I won't lie to you. You mean too much to my partner for me to do that." **Hikage closed her eyes at Kurama's assessment. **"Hinata. She loved him. Whether or not it was to the same extent as you, I cannot say. I'm a construct of chakra, gauging love is not my forte." **The truth got dropped onto Hikage and she felt even worse now.

"Hinata... a girl loved him. Were they together?" She held her breath as Kurama's stare pierced her.

"**Not exactly. Naruto didn't have help from someone like your Kaa-san previously. He had no parents around and no one to explain what true love was. The Hyūga girl idolized the ground he walked on. He... was going to pursue a relationship with her after they got out of that whole mess. Did he love her the same way? Again, I can't say." **Nine tails laid flat on the ground alongside Kurama. The bijuu knew Hikage was going to have to process that for a bit.

Hikage felt something on her face, the wet sensation was one she was only faintly familiar with. Crying. She was crying. Kurama's ears dropped slightly at the emotions that were coming from the girl. Hikage silently cried, her face didn't betray that sadness though. Kurama found it odd how a human could cry and still stare blankly ahead, seemingly lost in thought.

Mentally cursing for getting into this situation, Kurama moved closer to the girl. Hikage was seated on the ground, still as a statue. Jumping into her lap, Kurama waved nine tails around to bring her attention back.

'**I'm not good at this...' **Kurama only comforted Naruto before but... they had a special connection. Hikage wasn't it's partner so this situation needed to be treated differently. **"Hikage. I want you to understand something. That boy has never been happier. He's experienced so much in his life, but that kid's never been with someone like you before. Naruto's never even had a girlfriend before. I told you he was going to pursue a relationship, there's no guarantee it would work out like yours. For all your... unique characteristics, your feelings for my partner are real." **Hikage laid her hands on the tails that moved gently with the light breeze. **"I didn't even tell him everything about Hinata. I'm ready for his anger should his memories return fully after our inevitable synchronization. He's in no rush to reclaim them though. You and those other girls are his priority. I won't have him wallowing in despair for something we can't change." **

Wiping at her face lightly to dry tears, Hikage let her lips pull upwards at Kurama. "Thank you Kurama. I'm sorry for what I said about you. I'm glad you're always there for my Naruto." She rubbed the top of the tailed beasts head.

"**F****eh. Don't thank me brat. I should be thanking you. You and that crude women he calls Kaa-chan helped connect us again. He may not be the exact same... but he is my Naruto." **Kurama's eyes widened when the gravity of those words hit the bijuu's ears. **"Wait! I don't mean-" **Hikage fully smiled at Kurama's words.

"Your Naruto huh? Am I going to have to fight you too Kurama?" Hikage actually teased the fox for once. Kurama frowned suddenly.

"**You're still fighting with that blonde. Haruka right?" **All traces of a smile were gone from Hikage.

"Yes... doll girl doesn't make her advancements subtle Kurama." Hikage would rather not be talking about her right now.

"**Her feelings are genuine Hikage. For Naruto I mean." **Kurama noticed the twitch of Hikage's hand and felt the jealousy coming off her body in waves. **"Stop that. You're with him aren't you? He'll never betray you, idiot. He wouldn't even hold her hand in fear of betraying you. I had to explain that touching a friend doesn't equal 'cheating' as you humans call it." **Silence overtook both the fox and Hebijo shinobi.

"And what? Do you expect me to let Haruka have him?" Hikage hissed out. Kurama's tail whacked her on the head lightly.

"**Enough. I'm not saying that at all. I just wanted to let you know she loves that brat probably just as much as you."**

"So what?"

"**Exactly. I'm informing you. I'm not making you do anything. Naruto is your boyfriend. You got him first and that should be the end of it, but it's only a matter of time before she confesses to him." **Hikage tried to speak aloud. **"Close your mouth, I'm not done speaking. I'm not here to say give up your boyfriend. Naruto is a very emotional person and his personality connects people from all ranges of life to him. Haruka surely won't be the only girl that enjoys his presence. I can't say "Hikage give Naruto up". I know of your possessiveness. Hah, the Hyūga girl would be trembling in her sandals at the thought." **The green haired girl had no response for that comment.

"Do you... mean I should share him with others Kurama? Do you realize what you're saying...?" Hikage did not particularly like the sound of that.

"**Even if he's my partner, I have no say in this matter nor does it affect me personally. It is your decision at the end of the day, Naruto would never cheat and be with anyone while with you. Just like I know you wouldn't be with a different boy." **Kurama looked Hikage in the eye once more. **"The 'doll girl' poured her heart out to him a few months back. She told him everything about her life. I'm not saying this to guilt you into "sharing" him, but I know he didn't tell you the details. He's close with that girl as well. I'd rather not see you and Haruka killing each other over him. While you may already have him, Naruto doesn't enjoy having the people he cares about fighting. He considers you all one big family, that's why he's trying to break that tan girl out of her shell. It's not working, mostly cause Naruto's a fool at times, but the attempts there."**

"He's been mine forever Kurama. I..."

"**Talk to that girl then. You're a team, I don't need Naruto crying should anything happen on missions where you both can't get along. Jealousy aside, you're not children anymore, don't act like it."**

Being harsh but true was Kurama's best way of speaking.

"I'll talk to Haruka soon... though I want to talk with Naru tonight."

"**Whatever. As long as you don't start having sex with my connection open."**

Hikage's face lit up in a small blush. "Ah..."

**"You all give me a headache. You really made me go from one of the most feared beasts of the Elemental Nations to some wimp who gives relationship advice. Matatabi would have a field day... damn cat..."**

Hikage hugged the tiny Kurama to her chest and let another smile grace her face. Kurama wasn't that bad. "Tell me some stories about Naru... embarrassing ones."

Kurama's dark grin could be seen for miles.

* * *

"Who knew taking care of bean sprouts would take so long?" Naruto complained as he stretched. His companion flashed him an amused smile.

"It's not only taking care of them with Yomi-chan, it's a history lesson every time." Haruka commented as she stood close to Naruto. They were currently walking the halls of Hebijo to reach the same clearing from before. Naruto hoped Kurama didn't mess with Hikage too much.

"Yeah... it's endearing though ya know? Yomi-chan is only positive when talking about them, she doesn't hide anything." Naruto's comment elicited a raised eyebrow from Haruka.

"What do you mean by that Naruto-kun? Yomi-chan is usually happy all the time." The girl had her fits of embarrassment or moments of seriousness in spars, but to imply she was hiding something? Haruka didn't understand that one.

"I can't explain it well but... Yomi-chan gets this look in her eyes at times. Today when she made Homura admit to losing, her eyes didn't look anything like the innocent bean sprout girl." He explained with a pensive expression.

"Hmm. We are evil shinobi Naruto-kun." Haruka commented with a shrug, not seeing the issue.

"What is an evil shinobi Haruka? Are we really that evil?" The question was out of left field and Haruka blinked in confusion. "Sorry... you don't have to answer. It's just something I think about sometimes." He raised a single finger to scratch at his whiskered cheek.

"No, it's alright. I understand your question. I don't have a great answer, but I feel like... we are simply shinobi .Although, the evil connotation came from those before us. Who knows Naruto-kun... maybe you'll be the one to give us evil shinobi a better name?" She winked at him and he chuckled.

"Funny. My goal isn't that widespread Haruka-chan." Naruto told her with a grin.

"Mhm, you say that for now. Though, I appreciate your desire to make sure all of us are safe. How cute Naruto-kun." She smiled genuinely with a small blush. Naruto shook his head with another laugh.

"You all are a pain in the ass at times, I guess that's why you're my teammates. I know Hebijo and other shinobi don't care about their groups, well I do. I'm not even sure if most would risk their lives for others... but I would. After seeing how Miyabi-chan got put out of commission for years in a coma, I can't let that happen to you girls." Naruto's blue eyes were determined, seeing Miyabi's injuries really affected him. Not for himself, rather for the girls he's surrounded by.

Haruka looped her arms around his with a devilish grin. "You're too sweet Naruto-kun. That's what I... like about you." She coughed lightly seeing his confused eyes. "I doubt Hikage-san would put her life on the line for me though." She changed topics away from her potential confession. Haruka reminded herself that it wasn't the time.

"Haruka-chan, you and Hebi-chan really need to get along. I know you have a, uh, 'rivalry' but you two should depend on each other." He chided her gently. Haruka continued to pull him by the arm to the clearing they trained in.

"Evil shinobi remember Naruto-kun?" Her offhand comment made Naruto plant his feet firmly in the ground. She was stopped by his unmovable form.

"Haruka." His voice changed from the playful one she was familiar with. "Remember what we talked about? Being better. You aren't evil Haruka-chan, don't address yourself that way."

"I meant our title Naruto-kun. We are evil shin-"

"Fuck that title." His eyes glinted with underlying anger. "Just because that's what Hebijo and a bunch of corrupted assholes or shady businessmen address us as doesn't mean we have to be truly evil. I'm not the best at history, but all shinobi are killers by nature right?. Haruka-chan, our reasons do not matter in the end as long as know who we are inside." He pointed a finger at her heart. "This is what's important, so while that may be our profession, we are human inside. Don't make me repeat myself from that night Haruka-chan."

Haruka's body shuddered at his tone. 'Naruto-kun. He's so serious... I...' She grabbed the hand that was pointing at her chest with a tight grip. Naruto snapped out of his speech to quizzically watch her.

"As long as you don't forget that either Naruto-kun, then I'll follow that ideology always." She noted how big his hand was compared to her own. "And... I..."

"Doll girl. Release Naruto's hand. Thanks." The flat voice of Hikage cut Haruka's words off. The blonde girl felt her eye twitch as she turned to the one who interrupted her moment. Kurama was following by the girls feet, red eyes locked onto Naruto.

"Of course Hebi-chan..." Releasing his hand ever so slightly, she waited for Hikage to have a comeback.

Hikage didn't take the bait. The green haired girl walked up to Naruto and presented Kurama to him. Haruka was confused, where was the usual back and forth?

"Did Kurama behave Hebi-chan?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the sneaky fox.

"**I told you already Naruto, I'm not a child. Keep that up and I'll have a nice bijuu bomb ready for you next time you summon me."**

"Kurama behaved like a good fox."

"**Hikage... why?"**

Naruto grinned widely at the interaction. Happy that his partner was getting along with... his partner.

"Can I cancel the summoning now Kurama? Or..." Kurama grunted and turned away, so Naruto took that as a yes. Withdrawing a half open scroll, he closed it with a snap and the bijuu disappeared in a small plume of smoke.

"Even the smoke cloud is smaller for Kurama now." Naruto snickered at his observation, ignoring the growl that suddenly rang throughout his head. Hikage was quick to grab his hand and interlock her fingers with his. Her grip was usually fierce, but this was a bit extra. Naruto felt like she was holding onto him for dear life.

"Naru. Can we go to our room... please?" He wasn't able to say no to those half lidded yellow eyes. Shooting Haruka a weak smile, she gave a lopsided one of her own back and turned to leave.

"I... I have to go do some experiments and such anyway. I'll see you later Naruto-kun... Hikage-san." Haruka's words were said hastily. She picked up her pace to leave the hall they were residing in. Naruto watched her retreating form with a sad look.

"You two really have to get along Hebi-chan..." Hikage pressed her face into his chest and inhaled his scent deeply. Naruto stroked her back slowly. 'Kurama I swear if you did anything to make her upset...'

'**Hmph. Just talk to her.'**

"I'll talk with her soon..." Naruto blinked at that answer. He didn't expect it, but he wouldn't complain.

"That's great Hikage-chan! You two would be great friends." He smiled down at her. She merely ducked her head back into his chest.

"Room please... Naru."

"I gotcha Hebi-chan." He separated from her to get down on a knee and offer his back to her again. "Yomi-chan took your ride before so I gotta make it up to you."

Hikage didn't take long to get on his back. He felt her large breasts push into his back as she moved to get close to his ear.

"You will make it up... right now." Hikage whispered, causing him to shiver.

"Eh?"

'**Oh no.'**

* * *

Sliding their room door shut, Naruto felt Hikage unwrap her legs from his waist. Slithering off his back like a snake, Hikage moved to the bed and sat with a blank expression.

"Hebi-chan you're very quiet. Quieter than usual. What did Kurama tell you? Don't tell me... it's not true! I did not kiss a boy twice!"

Hikage gave him a thousand yard stare. She opened and closed her mouth multiple times to form a response.

"... What?"

"Forget it. What did you want to talk about?" He moved over to sit on the bed next to her.

"Kurama told me more about your... past." Hikage bluntly told him. Naruto knew how much that bothered her, so he was already regretting letting Kurama out.

"I asked for it. I'm glad I learned some more but at the same time..." Her long tongue darted out to lick her lips. "... Naruto. If you could find a way home or back to your world, would you take it? Assuming Kurama helps you regain your memory?" She patiently waited for his response with bated breath.

Falling back onto their soft mattress with a sigh, Naruto stared at the plain ceiling. "Hikage-chan, I know I had a life before this and Kurama told me how important my position was but... that... that's all in the past. I can never abandon you here. I'm sure once I remember everything it'll stop feeling like secondhand experience. I never want to leave though. I may not have been born here, but I _belong_ here. The time I spent with you and Kaa-chan could never be replaced by memories that I lost. Trust me on that. I love you so much." He covered his eyes with an arm as he continued. "I don't want to ramble on too much, but this is my life now. This school, our team of elites with Kurama helping, that's my life. I can't say it's too bad... not when I get to see all these cute girls daily." He laughed loudly at the hard hit to his chest.

"Naru... I love you too. Promise me that no matter what happens or changes... we will always be together." Hikage's eyes were practically glowing as she stared at him.

"I told you all this before. It's the promise of a lifetime. You're stuck with me Hebi-chan. Until you get bored of me at least." He teasingly replied. Hikage didn't reply with words, her climbing on top of him was more than enough.

"Never. I'll never get bored. Don't ever say such a stupid thing..." Naruto didn't know if her position of her ass pressed against him was either noticed or ignored but it didn't matter. "You'll always have my heart Naruto... that's my promise of a lifetime." Her smile. That was all it took for Naruto to lean up and initiate a kiss.

_(Lemon Time)_

Their kiss turned steamy fast, it didn't take long for Kurama to cut the connection as the bijuu had a weird sense of foreboding. Hikage wasted no time in licking at Naruto's lower lip to state her desire. Naruto obliged easily enough and opened his mouth slightly for his own tongue to sneak out. Feeling Hikage's right hand gripping his spiky hair, Naruto did his best to fight back into the kiss. Everytime they made out, he struggled for the simple fact that her tongue was way different than normal.

Hikage's tongue basically coiled around his own, pulling it gently while they swapped saliva greedily. Her left hand raked down his uniform covered chest, trying to rub at the toned muscles underneath. Naruto didn't let his hands be idle, though for once he attacked a different area. Hikage's breasts were an obvious weak point for her, the size of her breasts and sensitivity of her hardened nipples made her putty in his hands often. But changing it up on her yielded better results. Palming her backside and groping it roughly, Hikage began unconsciously grinding into the erection straining his thin dress pants.

Keeping the almost one sided kiss going, Naruto explored with his hands some more. This time he reached for the front of her body. Revealing the high rise orange colored thong she wore beneath her skirt. He slowly ran his fingers along the fabric covering her maidenhood. Hikage locked up at his touch, not expecting him to go there. In the two years they've been doing this, they both haven't explored much there surprisingly. They never took that step. They've seen each other naked more times than they could count, but their groping usually was interrupted or stopped prematurely.

Tracing the outline of her panty covered mound, Naruto heard Hikage hiss into their kiss. Her tongue wasn't quite as fierce anymore, the pleasure from his actions stopped her cold. She removed her grip on his hair to support her other hand in frantically unbuttoning his shirt. Naruto reluctantly stopped his light fingering below her skirt to start on removing her rather torn uniform.

Naruto's black dress shirt was removed the second he sat up a bit more, Hikage spared no time in ripping it off and discarding it like trash. She ran her yellow eyes over his well toned chest, molded from years of sparring and training from a young age. Her snake locket hung proudly in the middle of his chest. Naruto didn't want Hikage to feel left out as he lifted her top quickly. Hikage was more than happy to assist to reveal her soft pillow-like chest to his hungry eyes. It seems she neglected a bra today. Her soft pink nipples were already stiff due to his actions and the racy kiss.

She mashed her lips against his own again, her nipples rubbing against his chiseled chest which succeeded in making her body heat up more. Their relatively small bedroom felt much tinier in the heat of the moment. The kiss didn't last long, as Hikage leaned back and a trail of saliva connected them. Panting very slightly, Hikage got up, much to Naruto's very quick disappointment. That disappointment only turned into more hunger as she stepped off the bed to step out of her short skirt. Gripping the waist of the fabric, she lowered it slowly, biting her lip with almost enough force to draw blood when she noticed his keen expression. Standing there with only a small, tight orange thong to cover her modesty, Hikage didn't care anymore.

'I love him so much. I feel so hot right now... what is happening?' She felt her own breathing getting heavier at her line of thinking. Naruto's eyes studied her form intensely and despite seeing everything before, there was something so erotic about the look on her face. Hikage was emotionless normally, only giving smiles and frowns for certain situations. Yet, as Naruto stared at the girl whose chest was rising and falling alongside her quickened breathing... he knew there was no going back.

"Take them off... Naru. Then I'll do the same..." Hikage loosely grabbed the thin strings of her thong. That deal was one only a fool would deny, and Naruto Uzumaki was no fool... sometimes. Regardless, he wasted no time in reaching his own waistband and beginning to strip himself. The dress pants were kicked away to join the pile of clothing and shoes on the floor. Hikage's eyes left his face only to stare at the obvious hint of arousal hidden behind Naruto's black boxers.

'I've... I've always seen it... why does this feel so different. What's happening to me?' She remembered her first time seeing his erection promoted some embarrassment from her despite her possessive nature towards him. Now though all she felt was a sense of... longing?

"You go first Hebi-chan..." The way his voice was rougher, due to the lust and love both were feeling made Hikage's body tingle in excitement. She didn't argue or try to flip the tables on him, she merely hooked the straps of her thong and lowered it to join the skirt. Her most sacred place was revealed to him but this time it wasn't only because of a shower. Her so called maidenhood was completely devoid of any hair, showing that she maintains herself despite them never moving this far. The lips of her glistening vagina were a pretty pink color that complimented her nipples nicely. It contrasted with the dark snake tattoos that covered her body. Naruto had to resist diving at her again to kiss her senseless.

Reaching to his boxers to free his own arousal, Hikage grabbed his hand tightly. "There's... there's no going back Naruto. This is it... I want this..." She struggled to get the words out, probably due to the her heavy breathing.

"If this is what you want Hikage-chan... I'd be more than happy to give it to you." He gave her a dirty smirk that reminded her of Haruka's lewd gazes. That thought didn't kill her arousal, if anything it amplified it due to the unexpectedness of his action. She pulled his boxers down quickly and let his erection free, allowing it to spring out and 'stand' proudly.

'I've... I've... seen... it before...' She could barely think to herself as she observed the certainly large looking appendage. Hikage had nothing to compare his size to, it wasn't monstrously huge or grotesque. No. To her it was _perfect. _Years she spent loving and obsessing over Naruto and to finally see such a private part of him right before they went all the way, she couldn't keep her eyes off of it. Tracing every vein, every twitch of the hairless shaft before her eyes, she snapped her attention back to his face. He looked just as hot and bothered as her and she... she lost patience.

Jumping back onto the bed, she straddled his naked body again, pressing her ass against Naruto's shaft as she began to slowly grind into him. Her movement wasn't practiced or experienced, it was pure instinct driven by desire for the boy she loved.

"Naruto..." Her word came out in barely a whisper. Her usual emotionless or monotone voice broke into one that Naruto knew was driven by her current state. "I... I told you. You owe me a _ride_." The way her yellow eyes shifted to his blues and her tone drove him crazy, but the way she began sliding her body down closer to his erection was driving him insane.

"I know. Protection... but... I know we will be okay now..." Her words and mind were still obviously affected by the proceeding events. "Just... pull out... alright... okay..." Naruto heard her and despite the situation, knew the consequences of his actions if he didn't 'pull out'. While it would be his first time and certainly a challenge... he wouldn't be Naruto if he didn't defeat those challenges, pound them into dirt and spit on their remains.

In this case, he was going to be having unprotected sex for the first time and despite the potential danger. 'I... don't care.' The feelings he had for Hikage were in overdrive. Everything else was gone from his mind for now. He gave her a determined nod that she barely recognized as she swung a leg over each side of his hips, showing her desire to be on top as she lost her virginity. Naruto didn't mind in the least. Her large breasts swung with her movements, making his already throbbing shaft feel much harder.

Crouched over him slightly, Hikage looked him deeply in the eye and whispered a very small set of three words. The "I love you" made his heart beat faster for a moment before the tightness that overwhelmed him made his teeth become gritted in pleasure.

Impaling herself on the hard shaft beneath her, Hikage felt immediate effects. Pleasure, but pain. Her Kaa-san mentioned losing one's virginity would bring about some pain, and with Naruto's length, it was amplified a bit. This didn't deter her, Naruto's concerned look at her focused/painful expression made her body heat up even more, but she persevered. She was _owed_ this ride after all.

Sitting with him inside of her for a minute, she knew he didn't care about the lack of movement from her. It was obvious from his expression that her clamping down on him like a vice was extremely pleasurable. That thought filled her with a sense of pride. Then she decided to move. Placing her hands on his muscled thighs to steady herself she began to bounce at a steady rhythm. Naruto's face instantly changed to one that made her heart thump in her chest. The pleasure he was feeling was unexplainable.

Every time she lowered and rose again on his shaft, the feeling would set her whole body on fire. Every nerve in her was crying out in happiness. The way his appendage hammered into her as it hit spots she never knew she had.

'I'm... I'm so happy... ah... ah...' "Ah... Hah... Hah..." Hikage began moaning at the intense tight feeling in her stomach and core. Naruto heard the noises she was releasing and through his own pleasurable grunts, reached and grasped her two swinging breasts gently. Rolling the hardened nubs in between the fingers on both hands, he was rewarded to even more moans from his Hebi-chan.

Her riding grew more intense, and they started to get a little louder. The effect of her fastened movement created a notable clapping noise as her ass slammed onto him after every fast rise and fall onto his penis. Naruto started gripping her breasts tighter, pulling at her hardened nipples in tandem with her bouncing. Hikage never felt anything like this and...

'I... love this. It feels so good. So good. So good.' She kept that going in her head like a mantra as more low moans escaped her lips. Her walls began to feel tighter around Naruto's shaft, something he didn't even know was possible. He couldn't take it anymore.

Releasing her breasts, Hikage's hazy mind barely noticed as he propped himself up, only to reach forward and begin to push her down to the bed. Hikage didn't care about the position anymore, the pleasure and love had taken her mind over. Seeing as she wouldn't be the one riding him anymore, Naruto let loose. Placing his hands on each side of the prone Hikage, he began to pound away at her quivering form. Each thrust would elicit more and more moans from the girl and grunts from himself. Her long tongue began to sneak out of her mouth unconsciously, the feeling making her lose control. Her hands laid open on either side of her before Naruto reached over and interlocked their fingers together.

Holding hands, the two lovers got lost in the moment. It wouldn't be long before Naruto felt Hikage's walls tighten up with an unrelenting grip.

"N...Naru... Naruto I'm... I'm..." He felt her body begin to tremble uncontrollably and his inserted length felt wetter than ever before. She orgasmed before him, much to his happiness that he brought the girl he loved to such a state. Her insides were hugging him snugly and despite her almost thrashing as she rode the orgasm out, he felt his own release coming. A very small part of his mind told him to keep going but the rational side won out. Pulling out with the restraint of a god, Naruto couldn't hold back as he came all over the stomach of the girl quivering underneath him. His release even managed to hit the black snake tattoo on her hip. Hikage's intense orgasm died down the minute she felt Naruto's warm seed land on her body.

Taking quiet gasps for air, Hikage's half lidded eyes sought out Naruto's. He was panting just like her, with sweat glistening on his skin from their intense session. Both were previously virgins who never experienced anything like this, and despite their stamina for fighting, their orgasms knocked the proverbial wind out of their sails. Naruto collapsed right by her side as Hikage continued to stare.

"Hikage-chan... I love you... that was amazing." He patted himself on the back for the pull out game being strong. Hikage raised a shaky hand to place against his face as her yellow eyes displayed more emotion than anyone could expect from her.

"I can't put into words how much I love you. I... never felt anything like that..." Her tongue wet her dry lips as she felt the warm release Naruto left on her body. "...I loved it."

Naruto laughed lowly at her words. "Me too... guess we'll be doing that more often, Hebi-chan?" His words were answered by a weak kiss from the girl. Her usual tongue dominance was even weakened by their previous orgasms.

"Promise of a... lifetime..." Hikage said in between their small kisses.

Giving her his best smile despite their lack of energy he parroted her words. "Promise of a lifetime Hikage-chan."

Meanwhile... in the seal Kurama was laying low to the ground as the bijuu felt the end to the absurd amount of emotions the two brats were giving off.

'**I've never felt that much lust since Kushina or... Sage forbid these words... **_**Mito Uzumaki**_**. That whole clan of women were seemingly insatiable. I pray for my sanity that Naruto didn't inherit those traits. Please...'**

Cracking a red eye open to hesitantly open the connection again, Kurama was able to see Naruto still greedily making out with that girl. Closing the connection faster than the yellow flash himself, the bijuu tried to force sleep upon itself.

'**Uzumaki are a problem no matter the gender... dammit all.'**

Kurama felt like a lot of naps would be taken while Naruto was 'busy' with Hikage.

* * *

**A/N - **Yep. They finally did it. If having a sex scene in a story bothers any readers, I apologize. However, sex is a part of relationships for some people and that's not different for the characters in my story. It'll make them closer and I didn't do this one with the intent of writing full on raunchy sex. Just skip it if you don't want to read it, it won't affect the overall plot.

*Kurama spoke with Hikage but that does not instantly mean she's going to say "oh understandable please fuck my boyfriend, Haruka." It doesn't work like that. People don't work like that. That's why I still struggle to call this a general "harem" story. There will be multiple girls with Naruto, but this isn't something he will ever plan on expanding. Whatever happens, happens. If girls fall for him, it'll either progress or die out.

Reviews - Oh boooyyyyyyyyyyy.

**majikero - **Yes I said Hikage is 'best girl'. It's my opinion. Everyone's entitled to theirs right? That doesn't correlate to making this a harem story the "minute Naruto starts bonding with other girls". I'm 100k words in and there's one sex scene and one current relationship. I want everyone to remember one thing here. I'm doing this for fun. It's a story about anime characters. If you wanna write your own story with a single pairing, all the power to you.

**Dr. Headphone Actor - **That connection between Katsuragi and Naruto will be explored during the third year, they are way toooo similar in this story lmao.

**awesomeincarnatep561 - **They will interact when the Hanzo mission comes up!

**RealEWF - **The theory of Katsuragi having inverted nips is solid. That's gotta be canon now.

**Rain Sennin - **I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter that much. It definitely was one of my favorites to write up. And here's Hikage's next step. It was my first time writing anything like that but I don't think I did too awful.

**enumealish666 - **I will definitely have Naruto fighting opponents like Yoma or shinobi he actually attempts to kill.

**Kyogre - **I know I made Kurama mention teaching Naruto the Henge and Substitution in one of the chapters... I genuinely can't remember which one and I wrote it lmfao. Naruto will use it to mess with the girls eventually. The sexy jutsu will make an appearance as well.

**Super heavy weapons guy - **Glad you caught that reference! Sometimes when I write some more "modern" things slip in. They won't break immersion but there's little jokes or lines here or there.

**zerodragon - **It means a lot that you gave my story a chance. Murasaki is a solid choice, you got good taste. And I agree with their being way too many Naruto stories, but that's the thing I keep coming back to. I can't escape them lmfao. Hope you continue to read man!

**King0fP0wers - **So with the first chapter my mind was almost set on a single pairing but then I just thought multiple would work. I agree it could become awkward for all the girls if it's just Hikage hanging off of him constantly. I'm not making Naruto get with multiple girls just so he could have endless amounts of sex ya know lmao? I feel like a broken record but it'll all be about who connects with him. Oh! PM me btw, I can definitely answer your questions faster that way. I always forget I can just reply to reviews individually... I'm still new to this lmao. But ehhh doing this AN isn't terribly long. My thoughts on Yumi... I'll address that below :^) and yeah college updates are gonna suck but I'll make it work. My semester isn't that ridiculous. If I tried this fanfiction stuff last year, I would never update lmao.

**Bang Shishigou - **She got a big relationship step forward here lol. I do understand you though! I don't plan on making any of the girls feel "neglected". Hopefully I continue to be careful with that.

**Jojo - **I'm glad someone else relates those big ass boots Katsuragi has to Gilgamesh from DMC4! I'm a huge DMC fan so it's nice to see others seeing the relation lmao.

**helrio uzugaku - **Glad you love the story so far! And yes, the way we see the harem situation is similar. I can't jump on the whole "Oh he's the last of a clan or is powerful/hot? Lets give him 20 girls that are basically one dimensional." It just makes the story stale imo.

**Ryuko Matoi - **Good guest name, Kill la Kill is godly. And man... it's just my opinion. The whole best/worst girl thing isn't meant to be taken too seriously.

Since **King0fP0wers** asked me about Yumi I'll leave my opinion here. (Clarifying it as an opinion, just so no one is triggered. Especially the dude who left a bunch of spam reviews calling me a bunch of stupid shit because he didn't like my opinions. Seriously there's criticism, and then there's just being a genuine manchild over your views on _fictional_ anime characters.)

Anyway! Yumi. I understand the mixed reviews with Yumi. Ice as a power is always one of my favorites but the way her story of justice and such in Versus went... eh I wasn't feeling it too much. I wouldn't call her boring and I certainly don't mind playing as her but out of the "main 4 girls" she's definitely my least favorite. Though seeing her revealed FIRST in BlazBlue instead of Asuka... that wasn't a great feeling lmao. Asuka is the face of the franchise in my eyes, despite her being """plain""". Opinion, don't get pissed people.


	13. New Year, Same Naruto

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

Haruka waited patiently outside of Naruto and Hikage's shared home. It was almost time for their third year at Hebijo and the small summer break was coming to an end. They knew of Naruto's so called mission assigned from the higher ups of the school. Three of the girls weren't pleased that he was going to be absent during the school day's and Homura pretended not to care. She probably did.

'Naruto-kun certainly isn't good at keeping confidential secrets.' Haruka thought with a smirk as she crossed her arms under her bust.

The day after his mission was assigned he told all of them about it. When Homura threatened him with spreading it around, he merely told her "snitches get stitches" and she sat down. It was a childish way of dealing with it, but Naruto and Homura have an odd relationship. Homura made it clear she didn't trust them all very much. In the months of them knowing her, she didn't open up much. Haruka, Hikage and surprisingly Yomi didn't push her. They figured why should they care if she doesn't tell them about herself.

Naruto on the other hand, would do his best to anger her or make her flustered so she'd act more like herself. He was incredible stubborn at times and his dedication to a seemingly pointless cause was ridiculous.

'That's why I love him...' Haruka's smirk changed into a genuine smile before disappearing quickly. 'Where the hell are they? I know they are in there.' Raising her hand again, she didn't get the chance to knock on the door as it opened.

Bored yellow eyes eyed her up and down, it was still hard to determine what Hikage was feeling and Haruka knew her for some time. Though for almost three months now... Hikage has been in a better 'mood'. That didn't mean Haruka wouldn't try to rile her up. This time, Haruka felt her own annoyance flare up. Their outfits... they were wearing the same thing. Summer was coming to an end, but the weather was still warm enough to warrant a sundress. Haruka didn't even know Hikage wore anything besides ripped up jeans and skirts nowadays.

"Nice sundress. Your boobs are spilling out. I wonder why." Hikage's comments made Haruka's delicate eyebrow twitch.

"That's rich coming from the girl whose sundress looks to be a few sizes too small. Hebi-chan, it's unfortunate that you need to wear such clothing to garner Naruto-kun's attention." Haruka replied with a bit of her annoyance slipping through. Hikage gave her a small smile that practically screamed "I know something, and you don't". That wasn't a good sign.

"...You look nice Haruka."

"You do as well Hikage-chan."

Hikage opened the door more as a signal for Haruka to enter. Which she did somewhat happily.

"Where's Naruto-kun? Is he out back with Yomi-chan?" Haruka began taking off her expensive high heels as Hikage watched with a dull gaze.

"Ah. He should be... or he's cooking. He's making a lot of ramen and various kinds of meat. You know... if Homura comes." Haruka nodded, Homura did love meat. She'd be surprised if the girl showed up.

It was a small hangout Naruto arranged at their home. While the girls weren't jumping for joy at the prospect of hanging out, they couldn't deny that their group had a certain connection due to...

"Yo! Haruka-chan! Good to see you." Naruto walked up to them with a huge grin. Dressed in his casual clothes of jeans and a orange short sleeved shirt, he was genuinely excited about hanging out with what he referred to as a 'his girls' and Kurama. The fox was currently summoned and was hitching a ride on Naruto's right shoulder.

"Naruto-kun!" Haruka barreled right into him, ignoring Hikage's dry look. Pressing her chest close to his own, she heard Kurama growl lightly.

"**Watch where you jump girl, you almost hit me." **The tiny bijuu grumbled. Haruka raised her head from Naruto's chest to look the fox in the eye.

"Yomi-chan! Kurama-kun needs a hug right now!" At Haruka's shout, Kurama began to shake in terror as rapid footsteps approached the hall they were in.

"Kurama! Oh I knew you wanted one! Come with me for a while, I found the perfect ribbons at the mall that would go perfectly with your tails!" Yomi entered the hallway wearing a conservative button up green shirt and a long white skirt. Conservative didn't mean it did a good job of hiding her pronounced chest.

"**N-No! Naruto, don't let her do this!" **Kurama tried channeling as much chakra as possible to stay perched on Naruto's shoulder, yet the much younger girl somehow pulled the bijuu off. She hugged the construct of chakra tightly to her chest and squealed.

"Come on Kurama-kun! Wait... Where are my manners?! Welcome to my home Haruka-san." Yomi bowed low with Kurama in her clutches before running off to her room.

"But... this is my home..." Naruto whispered as Hikage rubbed his back lightly in response. Haruka giggled at the atmosphere of the room. For all the talk Suzune-sensei and other teachers gave about friendships and connections being useless for Hebijo shinobi... Haruka couldn't go along with that line of thinking anymore. She briefly wondered what it would be like without Naruto. Would she even be here right now? Green eyes blinked when the sound of snapping brought her attention back to the real world.

"Doll girl... help us with the ramen in the kitchen. At least make yourself useful." Hikage told her with her usual expression in full effect. Naruto poked Hikage in the side lightly.

"Oi, no insulting each other today. This is a friendship day right?" He gave them both a mock glare. They both reluctantly nodded, which made him smile happily. Turning around he started to walk to the kitchen, satisfied with their answer.

"Hikage, can we talk later?" Haruka asked while the snake eyed girl whose gaze was focused on the back of Naurto's jeans. Haruka deadpanned at Hikage's stare but she couldn't blame her. It was a nice view.

"Why? What do you want?" Hikage whispered to her and admittedly she should have talked to her a while ago. Things came up, people are busy, training, school... sleeping... laundry... Hikage was purposely putting off their conversation for as long as possible.

"A girl talk. That's all. Are you okay with that?" Hikage did not miss the subtle shift of Haruka's voice, she sounded vulnerable. "Since Naruto-kun is going to be missing during the day for a couple months, I just need to talk..." They both reached the kitchen to see Naruto standing over a very large pot.

"Fine... fine. We can talk... Haruka." Hikage's answer made Haruka smile.

"Thanks Hikage-chan, that means a lot to me." Her response made Hikage fight to resist a small smile. She seemed sincerely happy that she could talk to her.

'She's definitely planning something though.' Hikage knew Haruka. As much as they didn't get along due to an obvious reason, they knew each other's habits.

"Girls, you gonna help me or..." Naruto looked to them with a raised eyebrow. The sound of knocks at the door made him widen his eyes. "Never mind! You two handle the ramen I'll be right back!" He shouted as he began moving out of the kitchen. Hikage and Haruka both sighed lowly.

Naruto got to the front door before fixing his clothes. If this was Homura then she'd certainly attack his wrinkled clothes verbally and then it would devolve into a fight. That's how they were.

Pulling the door open he was rewarded to the expected sight of a somewhat embarrassed Homura, but his purple haired teacher and a small figure hiding behind her... that was new.

"Naruto. I found her walking up and down the street. She was passing your house for the past ten minutes." Suzune told him with her arms crossed. The woman was still wearing her teaching outfit. Naruto wondered if she had other clothes.

"I-I was not! Do not believe her bastard! I didn't even want to come to a stupid hangout." Homura's tanned skin flushed at his growing smirk. "Stop smirking! I'll wipe it off your face!"

"Oh yeah? You and what weapon? I see you're not carrying around that glorified cane you call a sword on your back." Naruto taunted her as he looked at her clothing. She was also wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white short sleeved shirt with the Japanese kanji for 'meat'. It fit her extremely well. Homura's fist started to shake in rage as she got into his face. Homura paused as her nose caught the scent coming from inside the house.

"Bastard... are you making ramen?" She asked him seriously. Naruto smiled widely.

"Yup. Extra pork too."

"... I'm going in. Not for you! Or for those girls... I'm just hungry." Homura began to push past him before freezing in place. "Oh, pipsqueak! Introduce yourself to this fox boy." With those parting words she let her nose follow her to the kitchen.

"Pipsqueak?" Naruto looked confused and rightfully so before Suzune sighed.

"Naruto... this here is Mirai. She's going to be a new student at Hebijo. Yes, she'll be joining the elite class alongside the others." Naruto titled his head to look at the girl who was attempting to hide behind Suzune's skirt.

The hidden girl had long straight black hair with a few bangs covering her forehead. Her eyes were red, almost the same shade as Suzune's. Though a peculiar eyepatch with red tomoe sat over her left eye. Naruto blinked repeatedly at her face, that looked familiar. Her outfit consisted of a short blue skirt with a pink tank top that held a yellow star design in the center. She was... very flat, he didn't let his stare linger long However there was no denying she was cute. Though Suzune mentioned she's joining the elites. How? Shaking his head, he gave her a tentative smile and began speaking to the hiding girl.

"Hey, I'm Naruto. Soon to be third year at Hebijo. So you're Mirai? It's nice to meet you." Suzune was momentarily surprised at how gentle he sounded. "So how old are you?" That's why. He thought she was young.

"I-I-I'm fifteen, but I'll be sixteen in a few months!" Her voice grew louder as she began speaking more. Naruto's mouth dropped in shock. She was around the same age as Homura and Yomi?! Coughing to hide his shock, he heard Suzune speak.

"Yes. She's set to be a first year student due to a curious way she found out about us. Mirai, Reo-sama allowed this information to be given out correct?" At the black haired girls nod, Suzune continued. "She's an avid user of the internet and technology. She was somehow able to dig up information on Hebijo through various sources and chat rooms. Both Reo-sama and Dōgen-sama were shocked at this knowledge. What's stopping a good shinobi from utilizing this information if a civilian could access it? Mirai agreed to show us where the information stems from if we let her join our school." Naruto was impressed, majorly impressed.

"That's so amazing Mirai-chan! I can barely use the laptop that Hikage-chan has. You must be so smart..." His smile was bright towards the younger girl making her look down at the ground quickly.

"D-Don't MOCK ME!" Her shout made him stop in his tracks. Suzune sighed again. "You... you're just saying that! You're going to call me a nerd next or some other insult! I won't let you!" She pointed at him with a glare from her one visible eye. Naruto raised his hands to show he meant no harm.

"Woah woah, calm down. I mean it, you sound super smart. I'm nothing like that." He bent slightly to get closer to her, ignoring her body locking up at his action. "Between me and you... when Suzune-sensei starts talking... I fall asleep. She just goes on and on ya know?"

"I'm right here Naruto."

"Oh! Sorry Suzune-sensei!" He rubbed his head with a sheepish grin. Mirai watched him closely.

'This is... an evil shinobi? Why's he smiling so much? He seems so...' Happy. He was happy. She figured that much out. But why? She wasn't happy. She was ignored or picked on for such a long time. How could he be so happy when people were cruel? Something grabbing her hand made her eyes widen in panic.

"Alright! Mirai-chan let me introduce you to the girls and you can hang out with us today. Suzune-sensei, you coming in?" He held Mirai's hand with his own, the girl had no idea what to do in this situation. Suzune already turned around at his question, showing she will not be joining them.

"No. Don't forget Reo-sama needs to meet with you tomorrow morning. Have one of the girls show Mirai around campus before the year starts, she already has a uniform." Suzune began to leave.

"Hey Suzune-sensei!" Naruto's shout made her stop walking but she didn't face him. "One day... one day I'm going to take that stick outta your ass just like Homura's. It's almost like you two are mother are daughter sometimes." His words were rude and Mirai looked on in shock. What would Suzune do? Surely an evil shinobi wouldn't take an insult like that?

"... You are the reason I started drinking Naruto." Her words held a bit of mirth in them. Naruto began to chuckle.

"Love you too Suzune-sensei." She didn't respond of course, rather she vanished with the wind.

Mirai couldn't comprehend the scene before her. How did he get away with talking like that to a superior? How was he so... happy?

"Mirai-chan? Come on, let's go eat!" He pulled on her hand and her body moved on its own. "Cute eye patch by the way, love the design."

Mirai was never complimented before.

She'd treasure her eye patch even more now.

* * *

"**What a disgusting eye patch. I hate the design." **Kurama dragged Naruto out of the kitchen the minute the fox saw the tiny girl with her covered eye.

"Calm down Kurama. It's not a uh... Sharingan! Yep, I remember. But it's not a Sharingan, it's really just an eye patch." Naruto explained to the irate tailed beast.

"**It better be Naruto. Who knows if I could be controlled again. I told you didn't I? Those awful eyes were able to control me in the past, what if they have something similar here?" **Despite the fact that Kurama was confident in their ability to handle opposition, the thought of being controlled again angered and worried the bijuu.

"I doubt it. Look, nobody even knows what you really are here Kurama. Haruka-chan told me there's a few ways to control people but I doubt that would work on... well pure chakra." Naruto rubbed his neck nervously, but not for a reason one would expect. "Please don't make a scene, I spent hours making the ramen like Kaa-chan! Behave Kurama." Naruto picked the fox up despite heavy protests and entered the kitchen where the table sat.

"Naru... everything okay?" Hikage looked up from her bowl of ramen to the annoyed duo of partners.

"Yeah. Kurama is just being a dick-OW!" Kurama bit at his ear with extremely sharp teeth. "Asshole! You want to start something right now?!" Naruto shouted loudly.

"Kick his ass Kurama! I'll help!" Homura yelled from her place at the end of the table. Multiple bowls of ramen were stacked around her as she messily ate. '...This is delicious... not that I'd tell him or anything...' As if she'd admit that to Naruto.

"Please no fighting at the table everyone. We should all be grateful that we can even have a meal right now." Yomi spoke as she ate her food with perfect manners. For a girl who grew up on the streets, she didn't lack etiquette.

"H-Haruka-san... is this how they always are?" A bewildered Mirai sat next to the buxom Haruka who was watching Naruto intently. Humming in thought, Haruka looked to the smaller girl.

"Yes. This is our little group of evil shinobi. It's special isn't it Mirai-chan?" She gave Mirai a closed eye smile.

Mirai sat in front of her untouched ramen in silence now. Why were they like this... why were they close? It didn't make any sense! They got along too well. They were evil shinobi. Suzune-sensei told her multiple times that bonds and connections were useless, but then her own students act like this! Mirai couldn't stop herself from speaking up.

"Why..." Her voice came out as a whisper. All the commotion in the room stopped as they heard the future first year.

"Why... why are you all so _happy_?" A simple question but one that held a lot of weight. None of the girls answered quickly, but Naruto certainly did. Kurama already knew Naruto would go off on one of his famous tangents. Well famous to Kurama at least.

"Why not? We are shinobi but that doesn't matter here. That crap Hebijo talks about concerning emotions and bonds... it's stupid. Good shinobi... evil shinobi... who cares. Everyone should be happy Mirai-chan. You're going to be a part of our group from now on, so it'll be my new goal to make you happy!" Naruto showed his ability to ensnare people with his words again. Mirai couldn't understand.

"You! You don't even know me?! I don't need friends!" Mirai shot up from her chair as her body shook. The other girls, even Homura, watched in silence.

"You're right. We don't know you Mirai-chan. It takes time but I know you'll get used to us." He continued to smile disarmingly at the girl. "I never wanted to be an evil shinobi, though this is where I ended up due to some circumstances and you know what... I don't regret it. I made friends here, even if some don't agree with that." His eyes moved to Homura who turned her head slightly to avoid the stare. "Nobody cares about your past Mirai-chan, everyone's had it hard to some degree. If we are going to be together as a team, we can't be negative and hateful all the time." Mirai still didn't look convinced and Naruto knew.

"See Yomi-chan over there?" He pointed to the bean sprout lover, who just happened to be adding them to her ramen. "She tried robbing me in this very kitchen." Homura almost choked on her meat at the information, she never knew that. "Now look... I let her live here whenever and we are pretty good friends!" Yomi nodded with a light blush.

"Yes we are Naruto-san. I'm still sorry about the... robbery." The blond boy waved off the apology, it was a long time ago now.

"Let's see... Homura-chan and I don't get along over there and she threatens to kill me daily... but I think our friendship is growing." He dodged a thrown fork with ease, sending her a large grin.

"We are not friends dickless."

"Homura-chan, what did I say the last time you called me that?"

"..."

Homura didn't plan on calling him that anymore.

"Now I'm curious Naruto-kun." Haruka leaned against the table with a calculating look. How did he get Homura to calm down?

"N-No it's alright! Sorry... Naruto... bastard." Homura hastily called out.

"Do you get the point Mirai? It doesn't matter what happened before or whatever Hebijo says. Friendship is important, though they may all not agree. We are evil shinobi but that doesn't mean we can't have a life outside of it. Sit down and eat, nobodies forcing you to be something you're not right now." Kurama snorted at his words.

"**You and your friendship speeches... some things never change with you Naruto." **All of the girls besides Hikage were confused. Naruto never gave a speech like that before. However, Haruka did know he always wanted more friends.

Mirai slowly seated herself back in the chair and picked up the discarded chopsticks. She looked Naruto in the eye and felt warm at the way he stared at her. Focusing her attention entirely on the food, she began to finally eat. Naruto was glad she was a bit more comfortable as he began to attack his own bowl of ramen ferociously.

The other girls all ate at their own pace, some small talk went around regarding training or the upcoming year. Mission talk made Mirai interested, so she began to ask Yomi and Homura very quietly. Towards the end of their meal, Kurama jumped off Naruto's shoulder to go take a nap on the couch. The fox claimed it was much more comfortable than some 'dirty mind'. That comment always offended Naruto.

Finishing his ramen and making sure to savor it, Naruto looked around the table at the chatting girls. They somehow grabbed Hikage into the conversation regarding Hebijo which only left Haruka to sit in silence. Naruto was seated at the head of the table with Hikage to his right and Haruka to his left so when he felt something touch his left leg... he knew who it was.

He felt Haruka's bare foot start to go up and down his leg as he flatly looked at her. She continued to smile directly at him, she knew what she was doing. The way her eyes wouldn't leave his face made him feel hot. He blamed it on the fact that they just cooked in the kitchen, obviously the temperature would be raised a bit.

'It's still summer too! Yeah... obviously.' He mentally reasoned with himself. His eyes widened when Haruka's foot began to reach places that would certainly cause problems. Her eyes were predatory as she licked her lips. 'Nope! I will not get hard in the kitchen among a new member of this team. NOPE!' Naruto shot out of his chair like a bullet.

"MIRAI!" The youngest girl jumped slightly at his raised voice. "H-Hey! So I was thinking we can give you a tour or Hebijo today! You know, this way you don't have to do it when classes start. Haha! Good idea? Great idea?!" Hikage narrowed her eyes at the way he was acting. Kurama was sleeping... she was talking... Haruka. Hikage met Haruka's gaze as the blonde girl smiled cheekily.

'Doll girl is playing a dangerous game...'

"I'd love to give Mirai-san a tour! I can even show her my home grown beansprout's." Yomi looked excited at that prospect.

"If I come... I want a spar Naruto. After all this delici... all this food, I need a good fight." Homura caught herself before she could compliment the one person who got on her nerves constantly.

Naruto gave her a thumbs up. "Sure! I'll kick your tanned ass all over Hebijo." Homura shot up with her own glare.

"Naruto-san why do you always make comments about our backsides?" Yomi questioned with a cute confused look.

"Naruto-kun obviously has an ass fetish Yomi-chan. I can confirm, he always stares when I transform." Haruka offhandedly said.

"You know... he does usually-" Hikage got cut off by Naruto moving in a flash. He covered her mouth with his hand and a nervous smile.

"Hehe okay Hebi-chan, um... you and Haruka-chan can stay here and talk about girl things!" He made sure everyone heard that before whispering. "We don't need you both ruining Mirai... please." Hikage smirked at him as her eyes glinted.

"You owe me."

"Hebi-chan I live in a perpetual state of owing you."

"Big word Naru."

"... Kurama has changed you."

Naruto moved away from them to get close to Mirai. The girl hesitantly nodded.

"That's fine. Thank you for the food and..." She looked down at the kitchen floor. "... Thank _you_." Naruto wasted no time in placing his hand on her head and rubbing it.

'She's adorable. Like a little cat.' It was a fair comparison. Her facial features were cute enough to remind him of a cat for some reason. She was only missing the ears and tail.

"Okay girls, I'll lead the way!" He moved to the exit before Haruka decided to give him more trouble.

"Homura-chan, Yomi-chan. Naruto-kun still gets lost when it comes to streets. Please watch over him, he's like a small child." Her words made his head drop in defeat.

"N-Naruto-san... I can help show you the way." Mirai's quiet voice told him. He should feel embarrassed that a first year would say that, but he figured it'd help her open up a bit.

"Okay Mirai-chan. Lead the way then." He held a hand out to the shorter and younger girl. She very hesitantly took it again. Hikage watched with no jealousy, she knew how Naruto was. He didn't see this girl in a romantic light, he was just really good with people.

It just made her fall deeper in love with him, if that was even possible at this point.

Hikage and Haruka sat in the kitchen as they heard the voices of their teammates fade away. Haruka coughed once. Hikage did nothing. Haruka coughed again. Hikage's eye twitched.

"... Want to help me do the dishes?"

"Sure Hikage-chan."

They both stood to approach the sink with various empty bowls and glasses. The only sound came from the running water and Haruka's fake coughing.

"Okay... what do you want? You keep coughing. We both know it's fake." Hikage passed the girl a bowl to dry off.

"I have a question... how's your relationship with Naruto?" Haruka didn't look up from sink at the questions. Hikage squinted at the question.

"What do you mean? He's my boyfriend...?"

"I mean... um... are you both doing well... together?" Hikage instantly knew how out of character it was for Haruka to sound embarrassed.

"How's this your business?" Hikage's answer was cold, but it was true. Haruka tightened her hold on the bowl.

"It's not. I'm just... Hikage, let's not act stupid here. I love Naruto." Haruka's words only succeeded in making Hikage stare.

"That's really hard to tell when you're rubbing him with your foot under the table." Hikage shot back at her and Haruka was stunned.

"H-How?"

"I grew up with Naru, I know when he's embarrassed. Obviously I didn't do anything to him, your hands were above the table as were his. The feet were the only logical option." The girl who was normally spaced out or bored had a surprising amount of deductive skills. "I picked up Kaa-san's detective skills when it comes to Naruto. She was the best when it came to that."

"I see... I'm sorry ..." Haruka dried her hands and turned the faucet off. "Hikage... I originally planned to steal him away from you." Even if she was only ridiculed and put down by Hikage here, she had to say it. Naruto would be busier for the upcoming months because of his Hanzo mission. She needed to get this off her chest. "I'm an idiot sometimes. He's madly in love with you." Haruka sat at the cleared table and put her head into her arms. "Now I'm confessing my feelings to his girlfriend."

"Steal him away? We've been together since we were eight Haruka." Hikage clarified for the girl with a sense of smugness.

"I know. I can't steal him away or even fully attempt it. My father... he cheated on my mother every night. I can never do that to someone else. What kind of evil shinobi am I huh?" Haruka mockingly laughed at herself. Hikage frowned lightly.

"... Naruto always says even if that's our title, we can still be good people." Hikage recalled the many times he's spoken up about being an evil shinobi. Suzune-sensei always got annoyed. "You deciding not to break us up, no matter how badly that would go, means you aren't evil in that sense Haruka."

"Here I am telling the girl who I made my rival about my feelings for her boyfriend and she's complimenting me." Haruka looked into those yellow eyes that Naruto always got lost in. "Do you know how jealous I am of you? Naruto, he makes me feel complete Hikage. I have nothing besides my career at Hebijo and a broken home, which is partly my fault. Whenever I'm with Naruto I feel amazing. He makes me smile and laugh. His presence, it's like a sun. It sounds stupid but that's how I feel."

"I... am the same way. He's my sun." Hikage agreed with her on that. "You know how I am though Haruka, you expect me to give him to you? He means more to me than anything. Sometimes I think what life would be like without him here and I'd be completely emotionless. For years I couldn't understand anything. Being happy. Sad. Angry. Love. Whatever. With Naruto, he makes me _feel_. I'll never go around with a bright big smile like his... even though that's how I want to be whenever he's nearby. I can't lose him." Haruka listened with complete attention and was beginning to lose any sort of hope at the chance of being with Naruto.

'She deserves him...' Haruka felt like crying. So much for the nice day of relaxing.

"Do you truly love him? Love. Not lust. I'm not asking if you want to have sex with Naruto. I know how you flirt and touch him. Is it really love?" Hikage's tone shifted to one she copied from her late mother's stern voice.

"I do. I talked to him one night in the park after we met Kurama for the first time. I told him everything about my life but not about my feelings. I couldn't do that even though I wanted to scream it out loud. I love him Hikage." Haruka was equally as serious.

The kitchen fell into a deep silence. Hikage spent a minute or two with her eyes closed.

"When the hell did this happen... you loving him?" Hikage's voice was a bit lighter, it was returning to her usual monotone.

"Probably when we first met. It sounds silly, but before I met you both I had no one. I spent all day in my house and I still only have you girls and Naruto as... friends." Haruka smiled fondly at the memory of the park.

"I can't stand Naruto... he's too good with people. Kurama was a beast that thrived on hatred apparently... look what that fox is now."

"No way. I refuse to believe that. Kurama-kun?"

"Yes. Believe it."

"You sound like Naruto-kun."

Hikage chuckled quietly at Haruka, which only caused the blonde to let out her own set of giggles.

"He has that effect on people."

"That he does Hikage-chan."

Hikage breathed in deeply, mentally beating herself up for the next few sentences that would come out of her mouth.

"I won't ever give him up Haruka. I'll make that clear. What you feel for him is genuine and I can't... feel 'good' knowing that you'll constantly be in pain over this."

"I get it, he's yours. I can't ruin your happiness. I'll... just..."

"... Share. I feel like throwing up... share. I've known you for years and I can tell you aren't lying about anything now."

Haruka couldn't even believe what suggestion just came out of Hikage's mouth.

"W... What? Please... please repeat that?" Haruka's heartbeat started increasing. No...

"Since I was young, Naruto has been mine. He's still mine and will forever be mine. It was brought to my attention that he's the kind of person that attracts others. He doesn't just do that physically, no he uses his words and actions. You're the best example... the idea of sharing sounds like a joke but you and I both know Haruka, I suck at jokes."

Haruka's hands started shaking and her eyes began to water. She could be with the boy she loved? Sharing or not, Haruka realized she couldn't keep him entirely to herself, but as long as she was in his heart. That's all that mattered.

"H-Hikage..."

"This isn't something I'm extremely happy about... being with Naruto showed me that the feelings of other people matter. I only ever cared about him even when Kaa-san was here, he was my number one. He still is, though now I have others to 'care about' right? Sharing... what a weird concept." Hikage's eyes widened when Haruka threw herself at her. The girl was crying into Hikage's shoulder and for the first time Hikage felt like she truly had someone other than Naruto. A friend.

Leaning back and wiping her eyes, Haruka began to talk through her tears. "Y-You don't have to do this. I can't interfere with love Hikage. I can't. Not anymore. I want to be better." Hikage's lips twitched up at her words.

"You aren't interfering. I told you. He's still mine. Nobodies losing. I'll win , he'll win...you'll also win maybe. I'm still a jealous, possessive girl as Kurama says. I just can't feel good about myself if I tell a girl who loves him like me to get lost."

Haruka couldn't contain the smile from breaking onto her face. After years of animosity between them both, it was ending.

"I won't lose to you ever doll girl. You still have to make Naru agree to try this."

Maybe it wasn't lost entirely. Haruka had to taunt her back.

"Oh my. That's easy Hebi-chan. I'll have him head over heels for me." She wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Ah. Some ground rules here if this works out. One, I don't like girls. Sorry. I won't do anything with you." Hikage plainly stated.

"Yes. Me either. I am Naruto-sexual."

"That is... wow."

Haruka started giggling at Hikage's reaction. Soon she also broke and started chuckling again.

"Two. If Naru doesn't agree then it's done. Three. You do all my schoolwork for the next year." Hikage looked at her with a dead expression.

"I agree with number two. Number three, no. Stop being lazy. You and Naruto-kun are awful with schoolwork. Did you even study when you were younger?"

Hikage stared at her blankly.

"Okay... right... Hinata... never mind. Still no. It'll help you for the future. Education is important for someone your age " Haruka put her foot down on that matter. Acting like a parent wasn't her intention but that's what Hikage picked up on.

"You sound like a mother."

"S-Shut up. I'm just concerned for your grades. Homura-chan slacks off too much as well because of Naruto-kun in our shared classes. He constantly flicks paper at her, and it isn't helping their education." Seriously, for all their skill in combat, they failed at basic studies.

"Alright fine. We both have to talk to Naru then."

"Okay that sounds-"

"**Well well well... what an interesting conversation." **Kurama walked into the kitchen with a feral smile. Both girls froze, having forgotten about the sleeping fox. **"So you finally cracked Hikage? I told you, Naruto's been attracting people for far longer than you realize. If he could sway enemies to his side, attracting females? Feh. Easy for my host." **Kurama seemed almost too proud of Naruto here.

"Kurama-kun, you heard everything?" Haruka watched the tiny bijuu nod proudly.

"**Doll girl, I've known about your feelings for my host for a while now. I told snake girl here some months ago that you want Naruto. Of course, she wanted no part in "sharing" or whatever you humans want to do to him. Maybe that's what intercourse does to a person. Lowered her jealousy. Heh. That'd be the day." **Hikage blushed at Kurama's reference to their activities.

"I-Intercourse? You already have sex?" Haruka's face was red at the thought of herself and Naruto doing that. For a girl whose primary behavior focused on teasing, the concept of being in bed with Naruto made her embarrassed.

"**Do they?! I cut the connection to Naruto's seal almost every night. They don't stop and honestly I'm getting annoyed. She can't keep her hands off him. Not that he's any better." **Hikage buried her face in her hands.

"W...wow... that's... Hikage-chan... is he... um good?" Haruka was very, very curious.

"**I refuse to hear about my partners performance in bed. Although if he's anything like his mother... what a monster." **Haruka didn't understand that at all and even Hikage was a bit confused.

"His mother, Kushina, tell me more about her Kurama." Hikage asked the fox evenly.

"What? You mean Hinata right? The woman who raised you both?" Haruka looked between the two with confusion clearly showing.

"**I couldn't stand Kushina, that insufferable woman. Naruto only told Hikage so far and considering how much you love the brat, it can't hurt. Let me tell you a little interesting fact about that boy..."**

"It isn't a "little" fact Kurama..." Hikage mumbled lowly. Kurama darkly chuckled at her.

"**I know. You girls get the abridged version. I don't have years to dedicate to retelling Naruto's life story." **Kurama stared at the bewildered Haruka. **"Now. Since this escapes Naruto's mind when he's around you girls... he isn't exactly from here."**

Haruka was having a hell of an interesting day.

* * *

Naruto dragged himself home with shredded clothes. He forgot his _Shinobi Tenshin_ scroll at home and was forced into an awful predicament with Homura. Lacking weapons and a transformation, he really needed to bother Kurama for more jutsu.

"A three on one isn't very fair. Especially with Mirai-chan on the side throwing kunai so accurately." These girls would be the death of him. Yomi and Homura were able to make quick work of his _Kage Bunshin_ and there was no way he was going to use Kurama's chakra. His speed and fists only got him so far, as eventually Mirai decided to sneak behind him with a knife. Sneaky little cat girl.

"It wasn't even a loss, they just cheated..." He grumbled to himself as he got closer to Hinata's home. "Kurama mentioned this _Rasengan_, I really need to get around to relearning it." Slapping his face with a loud smack he was rejuvenated. "Alright! I'll start tonight, that fox better come through." Naruto was sure Reo wouldn't mind if he was a bit late for the meeting.

Opening the door to the modest home, he kicked off his shoes before heading towards the direction of three voices. One was Kurama, which meant trouble was afoot.

"I'm back! Yes I look like shit right now. Kurama don't even say it." The bijuu held its tongue when Naruto called it out. "Homura-chan, Yomi-chan and Mirai-chan actually got me a little messed up. They are staying at Hebijo tonight by the way. This way they can get Mirai-chan used to the school so she's staying in your room Haruka-chan." The blonde girl on the couch didn't respond.

"Naru. Your clothes are barely hanging on." Hikage commented with an appraising look.

"Homura-chan is relentless. I even tried making my clones transform into a sword Kurama, she shred through them. The pain, the pain of my clones... the phantom pain..." Naruto clutched his chest tightly, earning a tail smack from Kurama. "Kurama! _Rasengan_! I need to learn it. Imagine the possibilities. Oh oh! What if I combine it with my blades?!" The whiskered boy was grinning at the thought.

"**We can start after you have a little conversation here. Hehehe, good luck Naruto." **Kurama left the room to find a new place to rest, preferably somewhere away from the hormonal shinobi.

"Con...ver... sation...?" Naruto let his eyes wander from Hikage to Haruka.

"Hello Naruto Uzumaki. Kurama-kun is full of information." Haruka told him with no emotion.

"Haruka-chan! Wait! I was going to tell you all about everything eventually. It's just so confusing, it barely makes sense to me! Hikage-chan knows because we've been together for years and Kurama has a big mouth! I didn't mean to hide anything, I had no way of explaining this all without sounding crazy." He pleaded with girl sitting next to Hikage. His girlfriend actually looked amused at his state.

"Naru. Come here." Hikage got up and pulled him to the couch. Placing him in the middle of them both, he felt even more confusion. Was Haruka going to kill him? Was Hikage going to help?

"Hikage-chan... are you going to help Haruka-chan kill me? I thought you loved me." He looked crushed at the over dramatic thought.

Feeling a rather harsh punch to his arm, he yelped as Haruka glared at him. Hikage didn't get angry with the girl which made Naruto's head spin.

"What's going on here?"

"Naruto-kun. I'm annoyed yes. I realize how insane this all sounds but I believe it. Especially since Kurama is obviously not a summon similar to Suzune-sensei's. While Kurama told me the basics, I expect to hear a lot more from you. Okay?" She asked him with a sweet smile, but he knew it wasn't much of a question.

Hikage began to lean her head on his shoulder and he wondered what would happen next.

"Doll girl loves you."

Hikage was a master at social interaction.

Naruto froze at the words while Haruka began sputtering.

"H-Hikage! What?! Why would you say it?!" Hikage only removed her head from Naruto's shoulder to tilt it at Haruka.

"What? It's like ripping a bandage off. Get it over with."

"This is nothing like that snake slut!"

"Watch your mouth doll girl."

"My love for Naruto-kun should not be compared to a bandage!"

"It's a... metaphor."

"I hate you."

"But you love my boyfriend."

Naruto looked up at the ceiling, he wondered where Mirai got such a cool eye patch. Maybe she got it online? Man he sucked with computers. He should fix that. He heard you can find more manga on the internet and he did enjoy reading those. He couldn't remember any of the websites. He didn't even know how to get to a website... wait... he did!

"Naru."

"Naruto..."

"Google. You use Google."

Both girls looked at him with mass confusion.

"What?"

"... That's his response Haruka. Guess he doesn't feel the same way. Sorry. Better luck next time, or never really." Hikage smirked at the girl. Haruka's hands tightened into fists, she grabbed Naruto's leg.

"Naruto-kun! I love you! There I said it. Hikage and I talked before and she... she said..." Haruka couldn't even continue, the embarrassment was getting to her.

"I said I'd consider sharing. You're mine Naru, but doll girl is equally as obsessed with you. I wouldn't feel right letting her wallow in despair anymore. It was fun for two years. Now it's sad." Haruka gaped at those words.

"Hikage! I will-"

"Is this all true? Or are you messing around? Hikage, Haruka?" Naruto's voice was serious and for good reason.

"Yes. While you were gone and before we spoke with Kurama, I talked to Haruka about this." Hikage interlocked her fingers with his own.

"Haruka you... love me? Even after I didn't tell you about Kurama and everything?"

Haruka nodded at breakneck speeds. "I am upset that you waited to tell me, but that doesn't change my feelings at all. You're the love of my life Naruto." She felt good saying these words. It was liberating after bottling it up for years.

"Wow. You know I'm with Hikage-chan though. I like you a lot Haruka-chan and I don't know what to say. I love Hebi-chan too much to betray her." Hikage felt her heart soar at that while Haruka's dropped. Hikage decided to stop teasing Haruka and actually help the girl out.

'I really changed. Help the girl get with my boyfriend... Kaa-san is rolling in her grave.' Hikage knew Hinata told her to kick other girls asses if they tried taking him. Oh she'd kick Haruka's ass, but the affectionately nicknamed doll girl was being sincere.

"Naru. I love you, and I know this is unexpected, but I told her we can share on a couple conditions. I'm not instantly allowing this." Hikage started to tell him.

"How's this fair to you? I get to date multiple girls but you're just with me. Do you realize that?" Naruto's facial expression was set in stone.

"You know I'd never want anyone else. It's fair because I know how you are as a person. You have a big heart, anyone can see that unfortunately. You're still mine Naruto. There's far worse than Haruka out there. Remember Akio?" Haruka scowled at her.

"You're the worst wing woman ever." Haruka told her with a scowl.

"Are you both serious about this? Love isn't a joke you know? I take this seriously." Love and friendship mattered a lot to him.

"Naruto-kun, as long as I can be with you, I don't care about sharing. I've been in love with you for years now. I'm past caring about Hikage-chan having your affection too. I just couldn't steal you away... because..." Naruto knew what she meant and held a hand up so she didn't have to continue.

"Hikage-chan, this sounds like something out of those harem manga we read when we were younger." Naruto rubbed at the back of his neck with a sigh.

"No harem."

"It's not a harem."

"Eh?" These girls...

"Nope. No harem allowed Naru."

"Absolutely not."

Naruto didn't get it. Wasn't that what they wanted?

"I never said I wanted a harem at all. Isn't that what you're both suggesting?" Two negative shakes of the head was his answer.

"No. Never."

"Think of it as a shared relationship Naruto-kun."

Naruto stared at them incredulously. "I'm not sharing with anyone. I'd never let a guy get close to any of you girls." He received two smacks to the back of the head.

"I don't want anyone else Naruto-kun. You're the only one I want."

"We never even said that. Stop being stupid Naru. Maybe Homura-san hit you too hard."

Naruto threw his head back against the couch. This was crazy.

"Haruka-chan, what if I can't return your feelings?" It was an important question, one that had no definite answer for the time being. Haruka gave him a sad smile.

"I can't force you to love me that way Naruto-kun. I know this is not normal and could break my heart even more but Hikage-chan is actually giving me a chance here to be with you. If you agree to trying, I'd be happier than anything." Well that didn't put any pressure on him. Looking for his moral support, aka Hikage, she rose a green colored eyebrow.

"What? I'm not jumping for joy over this. I'm giving her a chance as my... friend. She loves you like I do and remember our promise? Our promise of a lifetime? I know we will always be together."

She got him there. He remembered she mentioned something about "no matter what changes", it seemed this was the change. Hikage was all he had for years, a relationship like that was too strong to break.

"Say I'm with Haruka-chan, how would you feel Hikage-chan?" He could never make someone feel less loved, but Hikage has a huge advantage. The snake eyed girl looked thoughtful for a second before shrugging.

"Jealous. Though If you fall in love with her too that's different Naru. You're not leaving me and never will. You have _a lot _of love to give, Kurama was right. I guess Haruka can have some. I will kick your ass if you favor someone over me though." Naruto mentally reminded himself to know the full extent of the conversation Hikage had with Kurama.

"Agreed. My plan is to make you fall in love with me Naruto-kun. I have no issue _punishing_ you for favoritism." The sultry Haruka was back and Naruto was somewhat glad. Sad Haruka was awful.

"You're both insane. I don't know how this will work or what will happen... okay fine. I'll give it a chance. Not to cheat on Hebi-chan, but only to see where this goes Haruka-chan." He started to smirk playfully "What kind of guy would I be to say no to basically having two girlfriends?" Both girls glared at him and he shivered. Hikage's unique eyes and Haruka's calculating ones were a dangerous combination.

"No... harem..."

"Naruto-kun we already discussed this."

"I didn't even mention the word harem! I don't want a harem!"

"Good cause you're not getting one. If other girls try anything..." She let the threat hang. Haruka nodded, once more supporting Hikage.

"That's right, no other girls. You'll be ours. Assuming this works, which I hope it does. I really, really hope." Haruka felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders.

"This isn't an invitation to have sex with my boyfriend Haruka." Hikage reminded the girl and Naruto facepalmed. Here they go...

"Oh? Are you scared that I could show him a better time Hikage-chan?" Haruka didn't like the smirk that appeared on Hikage's face.

"Show him a better time? Sure. Virgin."

Haruka was devastated by that word. There was no comeback for that one.

"Can you both not talk about this right now?" Naruto didn't want to think about having sex with two of the most beautiful girls he's seen. It was bound to cause problems.

"No Naru. I'm giving her a chance to be with you. I'm not giving this up." Hikage grabbed at his torn jeans roughly. Haruka began to blush again.

"Hikage-chan..." Naruto stammered out.

"This is mine only for the time being. Don't even try anything Haruka." Hikage firmly stated with her hand on Naruto's crotch.

"Hmph!" Haruka threw her on hand onto Naruto's upper thigh. "You have an advantage Hikage-chan for now. Don't worry Naruto-kun, once we are fully together, I'll _blow_ your mind." Naruto had to look away from both of them. Their sundresses were low cut and the cleavage displayed was too much for him. He started to discreetly make signs with his hands.

Hikage didn't move her hand but she began to have a stare down with Haruka.

"You wouldn't even know how to do anything. Virgin doll."

"I'm sure I can take some pointers from the snake slut right?"

"The only pointer I can give is pull your dress up. You're not wearing a bra."

"Neither are you!"

"You're right." Hikage squeezed her hand over Naruto's pants only to blink when the feeling was way too soft. She broke eye contact with Haruka only to see a gigantic pillow. Naruto was gone.

"What? Where did he go?"

"Our hands were on him? How the hell did Naruto-kun get away?"

Naruto was running with a agitated Kurama on his shoulder. He woke the fox up and set out to the training area he set up in Hinata's old clearing. Mentally praising the _Kawarimi no Jutsu_, he had to clear his head of that bizarre situation.

"**You're welcome. I talked to Hikage a couple months ago and it seems you having sex with the girl calmed her vicious jealousy. She knows you'll never leave her."**

Naruto eyed the fox with annoyance visible. "I didn't ask to have another potential girlfriend Kurama. I had a feeling you played a part in this."

"**Idiot, Haruka loves you. It's still your decision whether to go through with it or not. I'm sure Hikage wouldn't be upset if you said no."**

"I... I don't know what I feel for Haruka-chan right now. I love Hebi-chan too much to cheat on her." He admitted to Kurama.

"**It's not cheating if she allows you to be with her is it? Hikage has come a long way from the little girl who couldn't leave your side. She still can't, but she's grown to value others." **

Naruto reached up and patted Kurama's head, resulting in a very small glare from the fox. "Those girls are all important to me Kurama. Why'd you get involved though?"

"**As my host... I have to care about your feelings, and I knew you hated how they argued. Them arguing over a boy like they are children needed to end. You are shinobi. Besides you deserve this after all that's happened." **Kurama was referring to the whole Toneri event, which Naruto missed.

"I deserve more girlfriends? Really Kurama?" He deadpanned at the fox.

"**You are the holder of the greatest tailed beast. Your pedigree is higher than any other human worms." **Naruto started laughing loudly at that. **"It's true brat!" **

"I'm sure it is Kurama. Let's focus on training though okay? You mentioned the _Rasengan _multiple times. I'm eager to relearn it ya know?"

Kurama began laughing evilly.

"**Oh Naruto... your hands are going to be hurting like hell until you get this right."**

"Mhm sure. That's why I have my _Kage Bunshin_."

"**They are banned! I hereby ban them from this training session."**

"You monster."

"**I've been called far worse."**

Kurama did appreciate the compliment though.

* * *

"Naruto? Are you listening?"

Naruto yawned loudly, which yielded two separate reactions in the room. A stern glare and a small chuckle.

"It's quite early Reo-san, I'm sure he'd rather be around those girls he favors so much right now." Dōgen's words made Naruto alert.

"I still do not approve of relationships among students, though I suppose you're a unique case Naruto. Everything about you is out of the ordinary." Reo rubbed his forehead lightly with a sigh. "Let me go over this one last time, I expect your full attention."

"Yeah yeah, I hear you old man." Naruto told him with a shrug. The lack of manners were something the two men were used to at this point.

"Naruto _Uzumaki_ will be entering Hanzo Academy located in Asakusa with the intent of regular study and shinobi training. Dōgen-sama has a few connections that forged transcripts and arranged your arrival with the principal. The principal of the academy is well aware that there is a shinobi populace among his regular students. Fabricating information about your so called clan was simple enough. While most of the information is basic, the mention of a powerful summon was included to solidify your status. You are not to reveal your ties to Hebijo by any means and further parameters for your mission will be revealed over time. However, your starting goal is information gathering that Suzune prepared you for over the past couple years. We expect good results Naruto." Reo concluded his briefing and waited for Naruto to digest it all. Dōgen watched with a small smirk.

"Can I ask questions?" Naruto raised his hand lazily.

"That depends on what you want to know. Your mission is not disclosed entirely on the off chance that you are discovered and interrogated. Respect this decision Naruto." Reo's answer made Naruto's hand drop slightly.

"This is such a pain ya know. Do you have any idea what shinobi I'll be joining? Also, I need to confirm, it's not an all girls academy?" Naruto didn't want to go through the whole fan girl issue again. It was hell at Hebijo and these were evil shinobi.

"Naruto-kun, all my contact was able to dig up on the shinobi were their genders. Five females. It's similar to your own group of girls, well six now that young Mirai has joined." Dōgen laughed at Naruto's exhausted expression.

"More girls. I hope they aren't like Homura-chan..."

"As for your other question, it is not an all girls academy. Reo-san? Did you obtain that uniform I sent out for him?" Dōgen inquired with the principal of Hebijo. Reo nodded and reached to the side of his desk, tossing the bag roughly to Naruto, the blond teen caught it easily.

"No offense but this is even more boring than Hebijo's." Naruto scowled at the white button up shirt and blue tie. The matching blue pants and brown shoes just looked so plain. Not a hint of orange or yellow... or red.

"That is not our concern Naruto. Tomorrow the year starts for Hanzo Academy and you are expected to remain there daily." Reo commanded his shinobi.

"Although your grades are not important Naruto-kun. You won't be graduating from that academy after all. Focus on your training first. You may even be able to learn some things from those 'good' shinobi." Naruto felt relieved at Dōgen's words. He wasn't looking forward to more school work.

'**Naruto. Shake his hand I want to confirm something.' **Naruto furrowed his brow at the odd command before shrugging, much to the rooms occupants confusion. He approached Dōgen slowly, which made the man feel on edge.

"Thanks Dōgen-san, I really hate school work so that means a lot!" He gave the man his best smile as he stuck his hand out. Dōgen blinked before grinning at the boy. Accepting the firm handshake, Dōgen waved him off.

"Not a problem my boy. I know talent when I see it. You're a more hands on learner, book work does nothing for you." The largest benefactor of Hebijo told Naruto.

"Right! Glad we agree on that. Can I head out now? I want to spend the rest of the day training with my team." He asked the two senior shinobi as politely as possible.

"You're dismissed. Do not fail us Naruto. A successful mission like this can lead to an esteemed position in the future." Reo reminded him sharply.

"Oh? Would it be similar to the position that Miyabi would have held if not for her unfortunate coma?" Dōgen's words made Reo's hands tighten considerably.

"... I'm leaving... you two can uh, work this out." Naruto didn't want to deal with these two men for longer than necessary.

Reaching the door fast, he called out to Kurama. 'What did you need to check?'

'**Do you know how Haruka controls people via her puppetry? I can never detect a thing from those affected by her technique, it's like they aren't fully there. Similar to a dead body.'**

'You always say it's hard to sense their emotions or whatever right?'

'**"Or whatever"... you're awful. Anyway, I get the same feeling from that man. Dōgen is quite clearly in the room, and at the same time he's not. Do you understand me?' **

'Kind of? Don't get me wrong Kurama, he creeps me out. He always seems one step ahead of me.' Naruto began his trek to the training ground to work on his jutsu.

'**Never let your guard down around him. If someone can evade my sensing, they are a threat. This mission to infiltrate a different academy can end badly Naruto.'** Kurama warned Naruto.

'I know... I have so many questions that won't be answered by Reo or Dōgen. And I can't trust Suzune. Evil shinobi... while they accept everyone, they are the most untrustworthy bunch aren't they?' Naruto's question made Kurama grunt in response.

'**It's not time to point out flaws in their shinobi system. Though I can't help being curious as to how good shinobi operate. I wonder if they take lives the same as evil shinobi?' **Kurama pondered the question.

'Hey. Have I ever taken a life before? In the past I mean. We already know what I've done here.' Naruto continued his walk although he wasn't paying any attention to the destination now.

'**In the war you killed an uncountable amount of what we called White Zetsu... They were previously humans caught in a despicable technique. So I'd say you killed a fair amount of people Naruto.'**

'That makes me feel great Kurama. Thanks.'

'**You also spared people. Even those who didn't deserve it. Your kill count here or there doesn't matter. As long as you remember who you are Naruto, the number won't affect you.' **Kurama's words made Naruto appear in his mindscape briefly.

"Kurama, you're a big old softy aren't you? You always know what to say!" Naruto attempted to hug the gigantic fox only to be knocked away and pushed out of his own seal.

'**No hugs. And yes, I do know what to say. I had to deal with your positive outlook on life for years in the past. It's your fault I'm like this!' **Kurama's shout echoed throughout his head, making him cringe.

'Damn fox, it's too early to be yelling like that. Can't I train later and sleep with Hikage-chan now?'

'**Absolutely not. I want you to be training all day today. I saw her state before you left, she would not let you sleep brat.' **

'You're not wrong...'

'**You've changed Naruto. This world changed you. If only your former perverted sensei could see you now.' **Kurama knew the toad sage would be celebrating that his student was basically forming a harem.

'Kurama I heard that! It's not a harem!'

'**It's going to be a harem.'**

'I don't have a harem.'

'_**Going**_** to be.**_**'**_

Naruto had a bad feeling that Kurama was right.

* * *

The next day was proving to be eventful. The start of their new year at Hebijo.

"He looks even wimpier than usual! Look at that tie!" Homura's loud voice mocked the annoyed form of Naruto. The boy was standing in front of his team of elites with his Hanzo uniform on. Hearing her laughter, he started to feel his own rage bubbling, Naruto was still as hot headed as ever.

"Better a wimp with a tie than a-" He was cut off by Hikage kissing him deeply. Placing his hands on her waist and resisting the urge to grab anything in front of a group, Naruto continued their kiss.

"Yomi-san? Why are you covering my eyes?" Mirai asked her senior in school. Yomi stood behind her with a wild blush as she tried looking away from the scene.

"T-This is not appropriate! Mirai-san is here!" Yomi yelled at the two teenagers making out. Homura was doing her best to avoid staring as well. Noticing where Naruto's hand was going, Haruka decided to avoid ruining Mirai's innocence further.

"Hmm, that's enough." Haruka placed her hand on Hikage's shoulder and had to dodge the knife thrown her way. How the hell did she do that so fast?

Breaking the kiss, Hikage narrowed her eyes at Haruka. "Girlfriend privileges doll girl." Hikage wouldn't allow this sharing situation to be easy.

"Alright no fighting you two." Naruto placed his hand on both of their shoulders to erase the tension. He knew both of them enjoyed when he touched them for whatever reason. "Where's Suzune-sensei anyway?"

"I've been here the whole time." The cold voice of the adult woman spoke out. Naruto turned to see her seated on the couch of their shinobi room.

"You should have spoken up Suzune-sensei. I know you're going to miss me!" He enjoyed riling the woman up.

"You weren't even supposed to reveal this information to your teammates, yet you broke that rule now." Suzune told him whilst pushing up her signature glasses.

"I wouldn't say... now haha..." Naruto admitted sheepishly. Suzune shook her head in disappointment.

"You can't afford to mess this up Naruto. While I may not know all the details, these girls apparently do."

"Mirai-chan doesn't! Let me tell her real quick." Naruto started to move towards the flustered young girl.

"Do not!" Suzune shouted, succeeding in making the room stare. Raising her voice was not common. "This is a mission for the betterment of Hebijo. You are compromising the parameters." She scolded him harshly.

"Suzune-sensei, I don't even know the damn parameters myself. Relax, your way too easy to mess with. Are you sure you aren't related to Homura-chan?" Homura didn't appreciate the comparison.

"... If you weren't leaving today I'd show you why I'm your superior."

"Suzune-sensei is madly in love with me girls. Hebi-chan are you jealous?" Naruto turned to his girlfriend with a cheeky smile.

"She's old. No."

Suzune bit her tongue at Hikage's words as the other girls all began to giggle.

"Suzune-sensei isn't that old Hikage-chan. She has to be at least thirty? Maybe thirty five?" Haruka also joined in on teasing the woman.

"I've never seen her wearing anything besides that outfit you know? That's more cleavage than Yomi shows when transformed." Homura noted and caused Yomi to hide her own face.

"That is untrue! I do not show my... cleavage like Suzune-sensei!" Yomi fried defending herself.

"... Cow..." Mirai muttered lowly but her teacher heard it.

"You girls. Naruto is leaving for the day, but you aren't. I'm going to make all of you regret this disrespect." The purple haired teacher stood from the couch with a snarling visage. She didn't move when Naruto reached her quickly and grabbed her for a hug. It's been quite some time since someone's hugged her.

"Suzune. Watch over them while I'm busy with Hanzo Academy please. I know we don't trust each other that much, but I'm counting on you." Naruto whispered to her quickly. He released her from the sudden hug and paled at the angry looks on Hikage and Haruka's face.

"I was just saying goodbye! I'm only going to be around at nights on the weekdays girls! That's all!" He pleaded with them poorly.

"Naruto-kun, why does she get a hug? What about the rest of us?" Haruka excepted a good answer.

Naruto didn't have one. He had an idea though.

'**Don't do that. Hikage will get extremely angry.' **Kurama tried warning him.

'It's not that bad Kurama!'

'**When you're forced to sleep on the floor of your own room, don't try entering the seal.'**

Naruto dashed to Hikage before kissing her on the cheek quickly. She didn't even have a chance to react as he did the same to Haruka... and Yomi... and Homura... and even Mirai. Now Hikage was livid.

"See you later girls!" Naruto made his hasty exit to catch a train that would take him closer to Hanzo Academy.

"Bastard! That was my first kiss on the cheek! And you just took it from me!" Homura unsheathed her six katana's to chase the boy down.

Yomi began her usual spiel of embarrassment and Mirai was doing her best impersonation of a statue.

"I enjoy this sharing idea Hikage-chan." Haruka commented with a very small blush as she touched her cheek.

Hikage gripped Hinata's knife until her hand began to hurt. 'Kaa-san give me strength not to kill Naruto right now.'

Rin watched that whole interaction with dull eyes. When she found Naruto and Hikage passed out by their mothers dead body, she would never imagine this is how things would end up. They were evil shinobi. Being affectionate and positive wasn't in their natures. That apparently didn't matter to her only male student. If anything he treated the whole team...

'Like a family...' That wasn't even a lesson Kiriya-sensei passed along to her. Naruto was turning classic shinobi lessons upside down. Shinobi both good and bad were supposed to put their career first.

'Who is Naruto Uzumaki?'

Rin wouldn't admit to the sense of foreboding she felt around him. He was destined for something here... she couldn't be sure of what. One thing was for certain though.

The entire shinobi world was going to be shaken up.

* * *

Bright blue eyes scanned a map of the school grounds. The campus of Hanzo Academy was large, roughly the same size of Hebijo. They even had their own set of dorms and fields. His other hand held a schedule of classes, he wasn't sure when he would contact these 'good shinobi' but he was sure they'd come to him. The principal knew of his totally legit lineage.

'**I bet two tails that you're going to get lost getting to class and make a fool of yourself.' **Kurama lazily watched through Naruto's eyes. Students all wearing the same colors as Naruto walked around and chatted happily. Males and females this time, showing the coed nature.

'Kurama, I won't get lost. I'm just studying the map and planning the best escape routes.' Naruto already felt lost.

'**You can't lie to me when I can easily hear your thoughts.'**

'I'm cutting the connection you ass.'

Naruto didn't cut it fast enough to avoid heading the snarky laugh from the bijuu.

"Stupid Kurama, always making me feel dumb." He grumbled to himself as he walked with the map and schedule in hand.

"Whatcha mumbling about?" A cheery voice called out to him and he looked up. His eyes widened at the girl before him. Green eyes stared at him with a bright grin. She was shorter than him with a very cute face and had very long blonde hair that reached her thighs. The bright blue headband in her hair complimented the plain Hanzo uniform. Her white school shirt was unbuttoned purposely to reveal a hint of her huge breasts. Naruto gulped at the thickness of her thighs, it seemed these girls weren't any different from Hebijo students when it came to skirt length. Good thing he cut the connection with Kurama.

"I-I'm lost?" He couldn't believe he stuttered. Was he nervous? Was it because of her lewd school outfit? It couldn't be, he's seen hundreds of Hebijo girls dressed the same way.

"Aha! You're new here! I figured as much, I've never seen you around." She snapped her fingers like she solved a mystery. "You got a schedule right? Let me have it!" She stuck her hand out at him expectantly. Naruto shrugged before giving her the piece of paper. He put the map into his bag, it seemed he wouldn't be needing it for now.

The blonde girl studied his schedule with an odd expression. "Eh? You're a third year like me? And we even have the same classes! What a coincidence!" She looked at him for an explanation.

"That's weird I guess. My names Naruto by the way. Naruto Uzumaki." He might as well use his full name here.

She give him a toothy grin and responded happily. "I'm Katsuragi! Nice to meet you! But this is an awful greeting you know?" Naruto looked at her in confusion. An awful greeting? Did he do something wrong? "You see I usually greet girls by groping their full bountiful boobs! You're a guy though, I can't do that obviously." Her words came out so proudly that it stunned Naruto.

"G...Grope? Excuse me..."

"You're a hottie though! Look at those arms! Oh and the shirt is unbuttoned enough to see your muscular chest! Mama likes!" Katsuragi rose her hands to make grabbing motions. "I've never greeted a guy like this before, so consider this my first!" Naruto didn't know why the passing students ignored this scene taking place, and he didn't move when she approached him.

"First time? Katsuragi... what?"

"Don't worry. Don't worry. I'll be gentle." She whispered as she neared him.

"Katsuragi-san. Are you attempting to sexually harass a new student?" A strict voice called out that reminded Naruto of Suzune. Both Naruto and Katsuragi turned to the new girl. Flowing dark black hair reached her thighs with flat cut bangs resting against her forehead. Dark blue eyes watched Katsuragi with disapproval. She wore the same outfit as Katsuragi, although her top was fully buttoned, and the skirt was modest. Not long but not short enough to reveal her panties easily. She was incredibly busty and attractive still. Her face practically screamed discipline and rigidness.

'What the hell do they feed the girls around here?' Naruto couldn't exactly complain even if it was shocking.

"Ikaruga-chan! I was greeting Naruto-kun over here! With my own personal flair of course." Katsuragi pleaded her case to the girl and Naruto deduced that they knew each other.

"As class president I cannot allow sexual harassment in any degree to be allowed."

Ikaruga stood firm in front of them.

"Hehehehe... Ikaruga-chan, no one can stop me!" Katsuragi jumped towards him and ignored Ikaruga's shout.

"AH! These rock hard muscles! It's so different compared to Ikaruga-chan's soft pillows or Asuka-chan's lovely boobs!" Katsuragi literally felt Naruto up in the middle of campus as Ikaruga rushed to stop it.

Naruto didn't know what he was expecting at Hanzo Academy. Being sexually harassed by a beautiful girl on his first day?

Nothing was ever normal for him.

* * *

**A/N - **Katsuragi's canon hobby is "sexual harassment". It's a big part of her character of course. Let's see... I made up a reason for Mirai entering Hebijo here. She will be bonding with Naruto almost like a sibling.

The principal of Hanzo Academy is not Hanzo himself. Rather it's just another OC I'll be making up similar to Reo. Dōgen pulled some strings and manipulated a fair bit to get Naruto in. Spoiler - Kiriya and Hanzo are not idiots though.

This is important too - I'm going to be changing things from canon due to Naruto's involvement. I can't change Asuka or Homura's friendship/rivalry up as that's literally the main story for a bit, but Haruka is not going to be as connected to Hibari here. I can't make canon work completely because of Naruto's position in this world. Events like Hibari attempting to steal the scroll from Hebijo and such will play out differently. I'm not seeking to retell the same story as the games. Dōgen's role will also be important here as I'll be combining aspects of Deep Crimson with the regular Burst (or Burst ReNewal story whatever, the plots all over the place in canon). If you want to know about how I'll develop some of the friendship due to Naruto's involvement, PM me and I can explain whichever ones you ask about.

Glad you guys enjoyed the lemon, I did my best since I never wrote anything closely related to that. I won't be including those every chapter, they'll happen when they happen. But not enough to turn the story into smut. I'll 'imply' things happened sometimes as well.

If I don't update in a week, I'm apologizing in advance. Thanks for reading though, love you all :^).


	14. Life or Hometown?

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

A mission assigned from the higher ups of an elite academy such as Hebijo should be one that prides itself on professionalism. Espionage and subtle sabotage should be utilized almost immediately. That was not the case at all for what Naruto was enduring currently.

"Oh! Here's the cafeteria! The food sucks everyday but Friday. That's ramen day!" The happy form of Katsuragi bounced up and down as she held a tight grip on his arm. Naruto focused on the name of his favorite food and not the bouncing breasts of the girl in front of him. Ikaruga, the so called class president, stood respectfully by his side. She claimed it was her duty to show a new student around and Katsuragi forced herself into that.

"Ramen? How good of ramen are we talking? Better than instant ramen?" Naruto asked the giddy third year student. Katsuragi flashed him a grin that resembled his own.

"Heh! It's way better than instant ramen. The real good stuff is available in town though, the cafeteria can't compare to it." Katsuragi bragged about the ramen spot that she held in high regards.

"I'll be the judge of that. I'm a well known ramen expert." Naruto gave her a look that portrayed mock professionalism.

"I don't believe you!" She yanked on his held arm with strength that made Naruto stunned for a second. "You think you can come into my school and call yourself a ramen expert?!" Katsuragi placed herself in front of his face playfully.

"Katsuragi-san. Please refrain from entering the personal space of any students. There's an appropriate distance one must take when interacting with others. This is not it." Ikaruga scolded the bouncy blonde.

"Personal space?" Katsuragi gave one more squeeze to Naruto's muscled arm, making him shake his head, before approaching the dark haired class president. "Ikaruga-chan... I'll show you personal space." Katsuragi's hands already crept towards the other third years bust. Ikaruga closed her eyes and sighed deeply before swinging her schoolbag at Katsuragi's head. It made contact easily and sent the girl directly towards Naruto. Deciding not to let the girl fall to the ground, Naruto reached an arm out and pulled her against himself.

Dazed from the sudden hit, Katsuragi took a second to adjust to her new position. Feeling her body pressed against something she compared to steel, she turned her gaze upwards to meet Naruto's. "Hey handsome. You come here often?" Katsuragi pushed her body closer to his own.

Naruto let go of her body and she unceremoniously fell to the ground laughing all the way.

"Is she always like this Ikaruga-chan?" Naruto asked the stern girl who was a polar opposite to her classmate.

"I have to ask you not to address me with such familiarity." She started to tell him, and Naruto was vaguely reminded of Imu. That wouldn't stop him, in fact he planned on calling her that more now. "To answer your question, yes. Katsuragi-san does not seem to know the meaning of boundaries." Katsuragi jumped from the ground easily and started giggling again.

"Boundaries! What a pointless word to me. Why should I be denied massaging those soft pillows of yours Ikaruga-chan? Maybe it'll make them grow more!" Katsuragi appeared thoughtful and Ikaruga felt her annoyance rising. Even if she's grown used to Katsuragi's habits, she didn't approve. "Although... now I got a new piece of eye candy! Naru-kun over here is a ten in my books!" She shot an awkwardly smiling Naruto two thumbs up.

"Thanks?" He said uncertainly as he reflected on the way she addressed him. It was like a combination of Hikage and Haruka. He prayed they wouldn't meet this girl.

"Enough. Class starts in a few minutes and Naruto-san needs to find his proper classroom. May I see your schedule to assist you?" Ikaruga held a hand out to the boy. Katsuragi slapped the hand, causing a loud smack to echo throughout the hall.

"No need! He's got the exact same schedule as us this year." Katsuragi seemed pleased by this information as the gears started to turn in Ikaruga's head. The _exact_ same schedule? Did Katsuragi forget what the last two classes of their day related to? Narrowing her eyes, she held her hand out to the whiskered student again.

"Please let me confirm. Katsuragi-san is quite scatterbrained at times. Let us not make any mistakes due to her inattentiveness." She insulted her fellow classmate slightly. Katsuragi continued to grin, unaffected by her words. She leaned closer to Naruto and whispered loudly.

"Psst... I think whenever she uses words like that, her huge tits grow. That's why I let her say it." Naruto started to laugh at Katsuragi's whisper. Ikaruga was not very happy that the new student was getting along so well with Hanzo Academies resident sexual harasser.

"Schedule. Please." Ikaruga demanded with a bit more force. Naruto shrugged before handing off the slip of paper. Running her eyes over the classes, her confusion and suspicion only grew at the fact that Katsuragi was right. It was the same schedule as their own. How? Kiriya-sensei specifically made up their own schedules. There was no way that Naruto... She looked up to observe the duo of blondes snickering at passing students. Katsuragi was probably insulting some of the regular underclassmen.

"See how wimpy they look? Look at that guy! He can't even carry his bag properly." Katsuragi pointed a discreet finger at what appeared to be a first year male student that struggled under the weight of his backpack. Naruto began a new round of chuckles at her assessment.

"I have to ask that you do not insult those underclassmen Katsuragi-san. They are still students and deserve the same respect as others." Ikaruga made sure to correct the girls behavior again.

"Of course mistress. Forgive these two delinquent students for their actions." Katsuragi grabbed the ends of her short skirt and performed a small curtsy as an apology. Naruto gave his own fake bow.

"I can already tell that both of you together is going to lead to more headaches." Ikaruga mumbled to herself. As president, the principal allowed her to handle certain events in the school. Welcoming new students was one of those events. That would be an easy task if it wasn't for this new issue. She never would have imagined someone, especially a boy, could get along with Katsuragi that well. They were friends but Ikaruga was aware that Katsuragi's attitude and personality didn't do her many favors. His schedule as well, how could they share the same classes? Chewing her lip slightly at her worrying thoughts she listened in on whatever nonsense Katsuragi was spewing.

"And there's even a small hole in the hallway outside the girls locker rooms for peeking! I can definitely show you if you're up for it." Katsuragi's conversation made Ikaruga's eyebrows twitch.

"Let us proceed to class. Naruto-san, I ask that you do not entertain any ideas of sexual harassment on or off campus with Katsuragi-san." Ikaruga continued to lecture them like children. Naruto and Katsuragi looked at each other, they both had one thought going through their heads.

'We can mess with her together.' Naruto was used to teasing stuck up or sophisticated people and Katsuragi always looked forward to bothering Ikaruga.

"Come along you two." Ikaruga began her elegant walk to their first class. Katsuragi wasted no time in dragging Naruto with her. She knew what the first class was. Math. Her face turned sour at that.

"Naru-kun... how do you feel about math?" She made sure to actually whisper this time.

"It's absolutely disgusting."

Katsuragi let a smile split her face again. They would get along. They'd get along real well.

Meanwhile, Ikaruga was already planning to somehow patch this so called hole that allowed a person to see inside the girls locker room.

It was her duty as class president and a shinobi to protect the students after all.

* * *

Ikaruga genuinely enjoyed doing her school work as a sort of break from her other lifestyle. Training as a shinobi didn't allow many breaks, and the weight of her own families pedigree weighed on her shoulders at times. That's why she didn't mind the education or studies of Hanzo Academy. In fact, she looked forward to the new year. Math was a subject she excelled at, not that she wasn't planning to ace the other courses as well. However, the presence of two people in the classroom affected her enjoyment to a certain degree.

Katsuragi was usually able to focus. Usually was the key word. Many hours were spent catching the girl up on school work that she blew off in favor of practicing her kicks or shinobi arts. While she knew Katsuragi planned to graduate and become a noteworthy shinobi, she certainly wasn't the best at studying. Knowing her fellow third year for some time now, Ikaruga tried to curb her less than savory habits and hobbies. It wasn't very effective, and she hoped this new student wouldn't amplify Katsuragi's already wild nature.

Feeling a small impact on the back of her head, Ikaruga turned around once she was sure the teacher wasn't looking. Catching the smirking faces of Katsuragi and Naruto who sat shoulder to shoulder in the back of the room, Ikaruga felt her blood pressure rising. Leaning over her seat and retrieving the small piece of paper that nailed the back of her head, she opened it up to reveal a crude drawing of female anatomy. A pair of awfully drawn breasts sat in the middle of the note. Turning her annoyed irises back to the duo in the back, she saw Katsuragi make a small grabbing motion with her hands. They weren't focusing. It was Naruto's first day and he didn't even care for the lesson. Gripping the note tighter, Ikaruga prepared to turn back to her notebook when the clearing of a throat made her freeze.

"Passing notes in class Ikaruga-san?" The voice of her current math teacher reached her ears.

"N-No. I apologize. It was on the floor, and as a member of the student council, I cannot allow litter to reside in the classroom." Ikaruga quickly made up the best excuse she had and judging by the approving look on her teachers face, she was in the clear.

"Very well. Refrain from doing that during class though, it may be the first day, but I don't intend to repeat myself." Ikaruga bowed her head deeply at that and her teacher returned to the front of the room. Sparing another small glare at the causes of the problem, she stuffed the note into her bag as she watched them stifle their laughter.

Returning to her notes, Ikaruga felt a tightening in her stomach as her mind drifted to Naruto. There was no way he was a shinobi right? This all had to be a coincidence or a mistake? It wasn't that she was appalled by the idea of him being a shinobi. No. It was the thought of how much damage Katsuragi can do alongside a partner in crime. Ikaruga already had her hands full assisting Kiriya with the two new first years that joined their group a few weeks ago. Yagyū and Hibari. Not to mention Asuka was a second year now.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Naruto attempting to balance a pencil on his lip as Katsuragi mimicked the action. Releasing a quiet sigh she decided to pay attention to the teacher and class. There was no point in stressing about the future. She'd prefer living in the moment.

Class ended fast for Katsuragi and Naruto. They both spent the entire time joking around or drawing poorly.

"I feel like I learned a lot. What do you think Naru-kun?" Katsuragi's insistence on using such a way to address him showed how quick she was to open up to people. He didn't mind too much, he always wanted more friends. Now if only he could make contact with the shinobi of the school to start his mission. He did miss his girls already though. Shifting his eyes from the students packing up for their next class to Katsuragi he responded.

"I suck at school Katsuragi-chan. We are going to need one of us to pay attention at least." He watched the girl throw her head back with a groan.

"Ikaruga-chan can help us out then." Katsuragi told him as she leaned back in her chair.

"No. Unless I see some degree of effort, I will not help." The girl in question made her presence known as she clutched her school bag closely. Katsuragi began to pout at her shinobi friend.

"Ikaruuuga-chan! You won't do it for me?" Katsuragi bit her lip and posed in a way she deemed sexy. Ikaruga was unaffected. Clearing her throat she focused on the amused Naruto.

"Naruto-san do not fall behind in class. As we share the same schedule, I'm going to make sure you focus on your studies like the rest of us. Katsuragi-san will be doing the same." The only reason she was going this far for a new student was her own sense of righteousness.

"Yeah yeah. You got it boss." Naruto gave her a lazy salute as Katsuragi watched with a smile. This was new for her too. Besides Kiriya, who was not exactly a friend to her, she's never interacted with a boy like this. A lot of the boys in Hanzo Academy were either boring and unappealing to her or simply leered at her for her looks. While she made no effort to hide her pronounced cleavage and flashing of her panties, nobody cared to get to really know her in the three years. That was true for both girls and boys. Outside of her shinobi group at least. On the other hand, Naruto had this presence to him that made her feel almost excited. It's a shame he wasn't a girl so she could grope another set of breasts that she loved so much.

'I have to say... this view isn't bad. Not one bit.' Katsuragi eyed the unbuttoned school shirt that revealed a hint of Naruto's muscular chest. A curious snake themed locket hung loosely around his neck. Snakes... blah, she's never cared for snakes. One thing she did care for was the attractive boy sitting next to her. Her mind starting to create daydreams of alternating between groping something as soft as Ikaruga or Asuka and then moving to Naruto's developed form. She started to giggle like a true pervert at her own conjured images.

"You're sure she's always like that right Ikaruga-chan?" Naruto and Ikaruga witnessed Katsuragi giggle to herself with hazy eyes.

"... Yes..." That was a lie. Ikaruga wasn't fully sure herself anymore.

"I have a... friend who would get along with her." Naruto supposed Haruka was equal amounts of perverted as Katsuragi seemed to be. Minus the groping girls thing. Haruka strictly wanted him. That made him think back to the conversation they had. 'Two girlfriends. How the hell can I make that work? _Kage Bunshin_? No... that'd feel weird. She's not even my girlfriend. I'm with Hebi-chan. Why would she even suggest that then? Can I really love Haruka-chan as well?' Naruto crossed his arms and put his head down in thought.

Ikaruga now had to deal with a spaced out Naruto and a Katsuragi who was consumed by her own perverted nature. She was optimistic about her morning before she arrived on campus. Ikaruga was looking forward to the brand new year still. She wouldn't let these two drag it down.

Reaching out and grabbing them both by the ear, she marched alongside two pleading third years to their next class.

"Oi! Stop! This is how you treat new students?" Naruto yelled out as she led them painfully.

"Ikaruga-chan acts like such an old woman sometimes it's cra-OW!" Ikaruga pulled sharply on Katsuragi's ear. Silently Ikaruga fumed at those words.

She was not a 'old woman'! She simply cared about students' performance.

"I can see it. Though I don't think a granny would have a chest like th-WHY?!" Naruto's ear was pulled with the same intensity.

Various students that ranged all years were treated to the view of the class president dragging around two complaining blondes. Hanzo Academy would never be the same now that a certain maelstrom was in attendance.

* * *

"Asuka-chan, are we going to eat now?" The higher pitched voice of a girl whined out through the hallway of Hanzo Academy. That voice belonged to a unique looking girl. Bright pink hair that was styled into pigtails and decorated with black ribbons framed her cute face. Outside of her innocent looking facial features were her eyes that held a unique pupil and color. Light blue with pink pupils was an oddity that not many could say they've witnessed on a person outside of contacts. These were very much real and they practically oozed positivity as she held her stomach at her hunger pains.

"Hibari. Asuka already told us that we needed to meet up with Ikaruga and Katsuragi first." A stoic voice explained to the pink haired girl gently. The now named Hibari turned with a small pout to the one eyed visage of her classmate. One red eye stared back at her while the other was covered with a brown eye patch. In contrast to Hibari's bright hair, this girls white hair was pulled into a twin-tailed style.

"Yagyū-chan! Class was sooo boring though! You wouldn't even let me eat my hidden cookies." Hibari pleaded her case to the set in stone expression on Yagyū's face.

"Cookies are not nutritious and should not replace a balanced breakfast or lunch. Also, I did not want you to miss the lesson." It was a fair point, Hibari still didn't like it.

"Asuka-chan, maybe they are waiting for us up ahead!" Hibari shouted to the quiet second year student.

"Hmm? Oh. Sorry Hibari-chan, I was distracted." Asuka, another beautiful girl, rubbed the back of her head with an apologetic smile. Brown hair tied in a tight ponytail and fashioned with a white ribbon moved along with her hand. Her hazel color eyed scanned the crowds of students as she searched for the third years of their group.

Hibari was about to accept the apology easily before the loud voice of Katsuragi was heard throughout the hallways.

"Naru-kun! Give them to me right now!" Katsuragi shouted at a male student who held multiple cups of instant ramen close to his chest. Asuka and the two first years had no idea who this boy was and why Katsuragi was chasing him.

"Haha! No way. I told you, all the ramen belongs to me." He ran faster than Katsuragi, which Asuka knew was no easy feat.

"AH! You ass! I should have never told you the lunch is awful. You managed to buy out all the ramen cups!" Katsuragi made a dive at him which he evaded with a playful smile.

Asuka finally noticed Ikaruga standing nearby with a small glare focused on the two blondes.

"Ikaruga-chan! What's happening here?" Asuka approached the third year who looked surprised at her presence.

"Oh Asuka-san. Katsuragi-san is chasing Naruto-san down for buying out all the instant ramen. I already informed them about running in these crowded hallways, yet they ignore me." Ikaruga would definitely be pushing herself a little harder during training to teach Katsuragi a lesson.

"Naruto?" Asuka, Yagyū and Hibari repeated the name curiously. While Yagyū and Hibari were first years, they've known Katsuragi for a couple weeks now. She's never mentioned a Naruto.

"Yes. He's a new third year student. Naruto Uzumaki. He was not at the entrance ceremony for the new year. However, between him and Katsuragi-san, I will be working overtime as class president." Ikaruga's words only added to the hidden shinobi girl's surprise.

"They seem friendly with each other..." Asuka smiled at the scene. A small part of her found it strange that this boy was able to dance around Katsuragi so easily.

"Indeed. They hit it off immediately." Ikaruga mentioned to the second year student.

"Yagyū-chan, we should join them! They look like they are having fun." Hibari tried jumping forward, only for Yagyū to pull on her school shirt and kept her in place. Hibari struggled pointlessly against the grip.

"I think it's nice that Katsu-nee has a new friend!" Asuka showed her familiarity to Katsuragi with the nickname. Ikaruga nodded slightly. She supposed Katsuragi making a new friend was a good thing. Perhaps the endless groping will cease.

Katsuragi stood up straight with a twitching brow that changed when she caught sight of Asuka. Grinning with her pearly white teeth, she abandoned the pointless effort of catching Naruto to say... hello to her favorite second year. Naruto followed her after he realized she gave up.

"Asuka-chan! Look out!" Hibari exclaimed and poor Asuka jumped in place before her face lit up in an atomic blush. Katsuragi made herself comfortable by grabbing Asuka's large chest and fondling it roughly. Luckily the hallways were cleared now that most students went off to lunch and avoided the two weirdos chasing each other over ramen.

Naruto reached the group of girls and didn't know how to react to Katsuragi harassing the cute brown haired girl. His blue eyes quickly observed the group, all of them were clad in Hanzo Academy uniforms and to no one's surprise, they were busty and curvy. The only unique piece of clothing he spotted was the brown haired ones red scarf that wrapped around her neck.

Ikaruga managed to pry Katsuragi off Asuka's chest and leveled her with a fresh glare.

"Katsuragi... I won't ask again... follow the school ground rules. Sexual harassment is a crime." Katsuragi placed her back against Naruto's arm who rose an eyebrow at the action. She was way too comfortable around him in the span of hours. A negative line of thinking passed his mind. 'I can use her to get to the shinobi maybe...' Naruto didn't want to be manipulative but...

"This hunk right here!" A palm belonging to Katsuragi slapped his chest. "Is Naru-kun!... Er... Naruto Uzumaki. Yep." She corrected herself due to the confused stares she received from the younger girls.

"Yo?" Naruto offered them a head nod as his hands were filled with precious ramen cups. The brown haired girl shot him a big smile, which the pink haired one copied easily. The white haired girl on the other hand... she watched him like a hawk. A hawk with one eye.

"Hiya! I'm Hibari! Do you like cookies?! I have a bunch of sweets I am willing to share!" Naruto never met someone this cheerful before. She radiated pure excitement.

"It's nice to meet a new friend of Katsu-nee. I'm Asuka!" The brown haired one seemed very upbeat as well.

"Yagyū." The white haired girl only gave a respectful nod. He got mixed vibes from her. The eye wear reminded him of little Mirai but the stoic nature screamed Imu or Miyabi.

'Miyabi... I haven't visited her in a while...' Naruto shook his head before giving the group of girls a shining grin.

"Nice to meet you all as well. Katsuragi-chan mentioned her friends are all cute. I have to say, she wasn't lying." Naruto wasn't intending to flirt, even if it was easy to perceive his words that way. Asuka's turned her face away from him, the previous groping from Katsuragi and now a compliment from a obviously attractive boy... she wasn't used to situations like this. Hibari continued to smile, not even realizing his compliment. Yagyū kept her eye narrowed.

"Okay okay. Naruto! You're sharing that ramen with me damn it." Katsuragi pulled on his arm tightly as she marched to the cafeteria. Naruto looked hopelessly back at the girls. Asuka gave him a sympathetic incline of her head, she was aware of Katsuragi's lack of understanding personal spaces.

"Come on everyone, let's go make sure Katsu-nee doesn't kill him." Asuka joked slightly and Ikaruga already started to head into the cafeteria. Hibari and Yagyū looked at each other oddly.

"Yagyū-chan? Don't we eat in the shinobi room? Kiriya-sensei said that's where we can go?" Hibari was a little uncomfortable at the thought of eating with a large group of students.

"We cannot. Naruto is not a shinobi, he is not permitted to enter the room." Yagyū explained to her fellow first year.

Ikaruga heard Yagyū and gripped her bag a little tighter. Being around Naruto for a couple hours plus his schedule and ability to evade Katsuragi. She was beginning to have her doubts.

Lunch went smoothly for the Hanzo girls. while it may not have been within the comfort of their shinobi room, Naruto certainly made up for it. Even Ikaruga and Yagyū could admit there was a certain quality about him that seemed easy going and open, not unlike their own blonde teammate. His jokes and arguments with Katsuragi at lunch made all the girls relax slightly.

The rest of the day also progressed well for Ikaruga. Katsuragi and Naruto both calmed down after greedily starting a impromptu ramen eating contest at lunch. They weren't nearly as distracting during classes. It was reaching the end of the usual school day when Ikaruga felt her anxiety spike. What would happen? These next classes weren't in the usual areas of campus. No... they were in the shinobi room.

Dragging her feet to the room, Ikaruga ignored the chatter of Naruto and Katsuragi. Again, the blonde girl seemed to have no issue with what was happening. There was no way she was this comfortable around Naruto. Ikaruga realized Katsuragi liked his personality, but for the girl to neglect her suspicion? That's a bit much as far as Ikaruga is concerned.

Pushing open the sliding doors of their shinobi room, Ikaruga spotted Asuka, Hibari and Yagyū waiting patiently as they sat together. All three younger girls looked surprised at Naruto entering with Katsuragi.

Putting her hands behind her head, Katsuragi strutted into the room with no worries. Naruto ran his eyes over the room with confusion. This was strange. Where were the other students? Why were there first and second years here? His body unconsciously tensed up, almost as if he was sensing something was off.

The sound of something whizzing through the air caught his ear. Blue eyes turned cold for a second as he shoved Katsuragi forward and intercepted a thrown kunai. Throwing the weapon back in the direction where it came from, he reacted instantly and took a defensive stance. The Hanzo girls, especially the two first years, could only watch in stunned silence. Katsuragi on the other hand...

"Knew it! I knew it!" She did a small dance in happiness that had everyone confused. Before anyone could question her, the well dressed teacher of Hanzo Academy appeared. Kiriya's eyes were unflinching as he analyzed everything about this newcomer.

Kiriya knew who he was. The principal made it no small secret to the hidden shinobi instructor. Naruto Uzumaki. The transcripts and information stated he was a practitioner of shinobi arts and held a lineage that spans generations. Apparently at least. Summoning mythical creatures sounded appealing to other shinobi, to Kiriya though... something was off. The fact that this boy also matched the exact appearance of the one reported by Hanzo Academy shinobi two years ago added to the suspicion. His stance was textbook too. The way his hands hung loosely yet ready to strike at a moment's notice. His feet spread at the proper angle and the blue eyes that waited for him to make the slightest muscle movement. Kiriya was not sure of anything surrounding Naruto Uzumaki except for the sole fact that he was dangerous. Then the boy opened his mouth.

"What's your problem pretty boy? Who the hell throws a knife at a guy just trying to go to class?!" The way Naruto spoke momentarily threw Kiriya off. Going from a picture perfect defensive shinobi to a smart mouthed teenager. He knew of one other student like that currently... Katsuragi.

"Hehehe! Pretty boy! It fits Kiriya-sensei." Katsuragi had no problem standing next to Naruto.

"Um... can someone explain what is going on here? Please!" Asuka's voice displayed her bewilderment. Ikaruga watched Katsuragi with increased scrutiny. She said she knew it. Knew it... Knew that he was a shinobi? No regular student could catch a weapon like that. How did Katsuragi know? Perhaps the scheduling gave it away?

Kiriya faced his students, the group of girls waited with bated breath. Katsuragi was nodding approvingly to herself, as if she knew something that they didn't. Which technically she did. Naruto was genuinely lost though.

"I kinda want to know too ya know..." He let his verbal quirk show by accident and Katsuragi's eyebrows shot up at the additional words.

"Naruto Uzumaki... the principal of Hanzo Academy has allowed him entrance into the school and offered shinobi training due to his lineage." Kiriya's explanation made each girl switch their attention back to Naruto. He was about to mentally call for Kurama to wake up before he realized he was beginning to rely on the bijuu's emotional sensing. Kaa-chan taught him how to tell if a person was lying based off body language or habits, he'd have to put that into practice here.

"Katsuragi. You claimed to know he was a shinobi... how?" Kiriya interrogated the happy blonde girl.

"Easy. Look..." Katsuragi reached to the front of Naruto's chest and rubbed him up and down. Naruto's brain shut down, what the hell was wrong with her? The other Hanzo girls couldn't believe she'd do this right now. "He's built like a fighter. A hunk of a fighter I have to add. That's not all though, his schedule was the same as mine and Ikaruga-chan's. During math class, the way he threw paper at Ikaruga-chan's head was perfect, similar to how we throw shuriken! Oh! Before lunch, he was able to dodge me every time I went to tackle him. I wasn't going full speed, but I should have been able to catch a random student." After Katsuragi's example, the room was perfectly silent.

Naruto couldn't believe he gave that much away with regular actions. The schedule wasn't his fault, but the feats of dodging and throwing did seem suspicious. He let his mind recall the words from his Hebijo briefing. Five girls similar to his squad... these girls certainly fit that description. He also couldn't believe she still was feeling him up. The tug on his locket snapped him out of it.

"I like the necklace. Shame about the snakes. Never was a fan of em'" Naruto grabbed her roaming hand harshly at that comment. Snakes were special to him, for sentimental reasons. Katsuragi's face displayed her surprise at his action, all day he didn't react like that. She let her hand drop and fought a frown off her face.

"As surprised as I am... good job Katsuragi. It is fundamental for a shinobi to look underneath the underneath." Kiriya praised the girl lightly.

"I... I can't believe Katsuragi-san deduced all that from such simple things..." Ikaruga knew Katsuragi wasn't stupid by any means, but to figure all this out? Impressive.

"Cool! More friends!" Hibari seemed pleased with this information and Asuka nodded along with her. They didn't mind this in the least. Yagyū still appeared to be unsure.

Naruto froze up again at Hibari's shout. More friends... he had a mission. While he didn't know the end goal, he suspected it wouldn't end well for Hanzo. Hanging out with Katsuragi for hours today, he felt a friendship could have formed easily... if not for her being a shinobi here. He felt a small pang in his heart for what he'd have to do and due to the way he grabbed Katsuragi's hand. Sighing, he pushed her shoulder playfully to elicit a response. She shot her head up and saw his smirk and gave her own back. Then she threw her arms up.

"Take that Ikaruga-chan! It seems you aren't the smartest one here. I will allow you to regain that title... for one hour of titty grabbing." Ikaruga looked annoyed at the stipulation and mocking tone of Katsuragi.

"Katsuragi. There's a time and place for your jokes. This is not either of them. Naruto Uzumaki. You can call me Kiriya. Come sit here, I have questions of my own about your clan and education. Then the girls and I will introduce you to the shinobi history of Hanzo Academy. This is all on order from the principal, not me." Kiriya made it clear that he didn't trust Naruto. The Hebijo third year picked up on that easily.

Katsuragi wasted no time in securing his arm again and dragging him to the seated group. Dropping herself in the middle of him and Ikaruga, she waited for Kiriya to begin the questioning and history lesson. She hated lectures, but she couldn't deny her curiosity over Naruto. There was something about him...

Kiriya knew he would be having a long meeting with Hanzo-sama tonight. A lot of changes were coming to Hanzo Academy and he wasn't sure if they would all be positive. He caught Naruto's eyes again and he couldn't get a read on the boy. He wasn't outright cold or rude, judging by how close Katsuragi was already. Although that could be a well crafted disguise. No evil shinobi would willingly walk into a school of this prestige. While shinobi were hidden among the schools populace, one boy versus hundreds of shinobi was impossible in Kiriya's eyes.

'Dōgen... Reo... Suzune... I better not have to kill these girls...' Naruto tightened his hands into fists. These five reminded him of his group. Their personalities were different, but the makeup of the group was not. He was glad he made contact with Hanzo's shinobi this early. He was not happy about having to prepare for a long winded lie that he'd have to spin to the girls that already claimed to want friendship.

"Naruto Uzumaki? Are you listening?" Kiriya asked him with force.

"Yes... yes I am." Time to lie his ass off.

The wonder on the faces of the girls made him dread this mission already. It hasn't even been a full day.

Kurama opened one eye inside of the seal at the emotions seeping out of Naruto.

'_**This evil shinobi business was going to have an effect on him eventually... let's see what his boiling point is**_.' Kurama woke up fully to listen in on whatever lies Naruto was crafting up. The distrust from the white haired man was palpable.

'_**Dance for the honor of evil... what a load of garbage. Honor... heh. There's no honor in this.' **_The bijuu knew it was only a matter of time.

Kurama had no issue waiting for Naruto to snap and stir up trouble for all sides at play here. They couldn't avoid attention anymore. Hanzo and Hebijo. In the end, Kurama's host would be no one's pawn.

A dark smirk came across Kurama's face. It's been a while since they went on a little rampage after all.

* * *

The school bell rang, and Naruto silently followed the crowd of students leaving Hanzo Academy for the day. One long interrogation from Kiriya later and he was glad he could return to Hebijo. The man didn't trust him. It made sense he supposed. That kunai he threw could have killed an unsuspecting person. Kiriya was certain he'd defend himself and Naruto proved him right. He knew more about Naruto than Naruto knew about him. That was not good.

'Those girls... they are innocent.' Naruto had a skill, one that he honed in Hebijo. He had an easier time reading people and these Hanzo girls were no different. Even without Kurama he could describe these girls to some degree.

Asuka. Eager and ready to advance in her shinobi career. She was knowledgeable on the history of good shinobi, to an extreme actually. Possible relation to a lineage of shinobi was high. She was upbeat and trusting.

Yagyū. Intelligent as well. Hard to discern her true nature based off her aloof exterior. The eye patch hinted at a loss of vision but that didn't affect her study or shinobi practice apparently. Her suspicion was only second to Ikaruga's.

Ikaruga. Perhaps the most intelligent of their group. She didn't trust easily unlike her other teammates. The girl fit the motif of a strict class president and held the aura of a noble or upper class citizen.

Hibari. After she offered him a huge amount of candy, Naruto realized she was just as trusting as Asuka. The girl was constantly happy. He wasn't sure if this was a mask of hers or genuine but judging by her curiosity of what he could summon, she was probably like this all the time. Not exactly the smartest of the group, though Naruto knew she was a first year. This was all new to her.

Katsuragi. Deceptively smart. She wasn't like Ikaruga with the book smarts, but she was able to discover his skill from small actions. Her habit and tendencies for sexual harassment was strange and Naruto figured there had to be something deeper there. She made it clear when they went over shinobi history that she aims to be well known in the shinobi world. Her drive was commendable, and Naruto believed she could do it. Trusting... even more so than Hibari. He couldn't understand this one. Was it because they clicked so well? He realized how easy it was to make jokes or mess around with her. Was she also pretending?

'**Imagine yourself as a female... and if you were a sexual deviant. That's basically her.' **Kurama's assessment was scarily accurate.

'Kurama. Were you asleep the whole time or did you notice anything odd in that shinobi room?' He internally questioned his tailed partner.

'**Nothing besides what you figured out. The man in the suit was suspicious and untrusting. The girls... all of them believed you to some degree. Some way more others.' **Kurama noticed Naruto's emotions flare again.

'Do you think I'll have to...?' Naruto didn't even know if he wanted to ask the question mentally.

'**Dōgen certainly wants you to evaluate each of them. Whether it comes down to you or your group of girls eliminating them... it's possible Naruto.' **Naruto grit his teeth at Kurama's words. **'This is the path you're walking down right now. It's up to you to decide if you'll see it through.' **The bijuu's wisdom calmed down Naruto a little bit.

'There's no getting out of the mission now Kurama. There wasn't a chance in the first place.'

'**In the case of everything going to hell Naruto, I want you to know that I'll be here every step of the way.' **Knowing better than anyone how Naruto felt about friendship and betrayal, Kurama had to reassure him.

'You're the best Kurama.'

'**Your kind words won't let you escape from training tonight. Get ready for those hands to hurt again.' **

"Sadistic fox bastard..." Naruto whispered as he walked off the campus of Hanzo Academy.

"YOOOO!" The familiar voice of Katsuragi reached his ears as she ran at him.

"Katsuragi-chan?" He wondered what she could want. Maybe Kiriya was sending her to follow him home or something.

"Kiriya-sensei is spending this week getting the first years up to speed or whatever. That means I'm free after school. Remember that ramen place I mentioned? You up for it?" She nudged him with a big smile.

'**She's not pretending.' **The fox told him. It was becoming clear to Naruto as well. Katsuragi really was this open with people.

"I... I can't today. I have to get home." He didn't have an excuse planned but he really did have to return to Hebijo. Katsuragi let her smile drop for a split second.

"That's fine! More for me I guess." She laughed and Naruto could tell it was somewhat fake.

"... How's about we go Friday? You said they have ramen in the cafeteria on Friday's. We can have double the ramen that day." Naruto's suggestion made her face brighten up considerably. Pumping a fist in the air, which caused her chest to jiggle, she was quick to agree.

"Alright! It's a date then Naru-kun."

"H-Huh?"

Katsuragi held her stomach as she laughed at his expression. "Joking joking! You think a couple bowls of ramen is all it takes to get with this?" She gestured to her curvy body. "Guess again!"

"I doubt you can even handle a couple bowls Katsuragi-chan." Naruto felt the need to tease her.

"How dare you?! You know what? Let's have a little bet. The most bowls eaten on Friday gets a favor from the other person. Deal?" She stuck a hand out for his agreement. With no hesitation, he shook her smaller and softer hand.

"Don't go crying when I win... _Katsu-chan_." Naruto whispered the shortened name to Katsuragi and for the first time all day, a tint of red appeared on her cheeks. She coughed loudly and withdrew her hand.

"W-We shook on it. The deal is set. I'll see you tomorrow Naru-kun!" With that she dashed off to avoid embarrassing herself. Never has someone made her blush. Never. She's groped more girls than she could count at this point and not even that made her embarrassed. Why did the way he whisper her shortened name make her face warm? She rationalized it was because she was thinking of the ramen. That had to be it. The ramen.

'**Do I need to remind you to be careful? You're already dealing with Hikage and Haruka.' **Kurama lazily asked him.

'What do you mean? I'm teasing her Kurama.'

'**It's teasing for now... who knows what will happen in the future.' **Naruto shrugged off Kurama's concern.

'She said it herself. It's not a date and she enjoys harassing girls. There's absolutely nothing to worry about.'

'**After you rudely cut the connection this morning, I reopened it in time to hear her say it was the first time she's done that to a boy.' **Kurama reminded Naruto as he began to walk to the train station. One train would get him to Hebijo easily.

'Meh. She was joking I bet. Katsuragi-chan probably has people lining up for her. I mean, you see how she has no shame right? I swear Kurama I can tell you how many damn stripes are on her panties.' Naruto still didn't see the point Kurama was making.

'**A joke, right... I'm sure snake and doll girl would love to hear about their love getting felt up by a 'good' shinobi.'**

The entire way back to Hebijo, Naruto had to deal with Kurama's taunts. Reaching the castle keep ruins that housed the school of evil shinobi, Naruto avoided the lingering crowds of girls around campus. Opening the doors to the shinobi room he was most comfortable with, he was greeted with a swift punch to the gut. Blue eyes widened at the sudden strike. Kurama already began laughing at his expense.

"That was for taking my first kiss!" Homura held a fist up threateningly. Despite the small amount of pain lingering in his abdomen, he gave Homura a smile that would only anger her further.

"I missed you too Homura-chan. It was an honor to take your first kiss... on the cheek." Naruto ducked another punch, this one aimed at his head. Homura made a move to grab him again before a pull on his tie dragged him into the room.

"Naru." Hikage escorted him to the large couch. He didn't even notice her because of the 'fun' he was having teasing Homura.

"Hebi-chan!" Quickly kissing him, she pushed him onto the couch before sitting next to him and pulling his head into her lap.

"... How was your day?" Hikage asked as she played with his spiky hair. Focusing away from his girlfriend's face, he realized they weren't alone in the room besides Homura. Yomi sat respectfully near the window and smiled at him serenely. Mirai was seated in front of the couch with a laptop.

"Wait. Where's Haruka-chan?" Naruto felt the hands in his hair tighten.

"She's-"

"Right here Naruto-kun." His legs were picked up and placed onto the lap of Haruka now. Stuck laying between the two girls, he didn't try to resist. The sound of Homura's loud footsteps getting closer meant she was somewhat curious about Hanzo Academy.

"My day was... interesting. Met some people, went to class, basically got interrogated by a shinobi. It was a normal day honestly." Naruto's description promoted reactions from all the Hebijo girls. Hikage glared at him from above, Haruka gripped his leg and Mirai appeared to want to know more. Yomi was blatantly concerned and Homura...

"Interrogated on your first day. I can't say I'm surprised when it comes to you fox boy. What'd you do? Summon Kurama in the middle of class? Transform by accident?" Homura already began poking fun at him.

"I'm not an idiot Homura-chan." Naruto growled out at her. Homura took a seat on the floor near Mirai and laughed at his reaction.

"Relax. Seriously, what happened Naruto?" Homura knew Naruto wasn't a fool when the situation called for him to act serious. That didn't mean she wouldn't try to insult him at any opportunity.

"Everything was going alright before the end of the day. My last classes involved the shinobi of Hanzo Academy. The teacher, think of a male Suzune-sensei, was definitely suspicious. I kept making up more lies about my family and Kurama, eventually he calmed down after his students started to believe it." Naruto was omitting some details for the time being.

"What were the students like Naruto-kun?" Haruka asked her own question now.

"They were just like our group. Five girls." Naruto was almost hesitant to admit that piece of information.

"Girls?" Naruto already felt Hikage's glare before it formed on her face. Looking up at her, he gave a apologetic smile.

"Yes. Two third years, one second year and two first years. I don't have a lot of information about them besides first impressions. As time goes by I'll have more intel." Naruto felt a tap on his arm and noticed Mirai shyly observing him.

"Naruto-san... did they try to attack you?" He didn't expect a question like that from the first year. Doing his best to shake his head, which was still in Hikage's lap, he started to respond.

"Mirai-chan, they were rightfully suspicious of me but the girls didn't attack me. It's a school for good shinobi and based off my forged information, I come from a lineage of good shinobi. It isn't like Hebijo where some girls think it's okay to punch people in their stomachs." He leveled Homura with a glare.

"I wouldn't punch you if you didn't put your lips where they don't belong bastard." Homura crosses her arms with a huff.

"Ara... I have some places for your lips Naruto-kun." Haruka started to move her hand up and down his leg.

"Remove that hand or you'll lose it." Hikage still didn't appreciate others touching her boyfriend.

"You would stab my hand that's on Naruto-kun's leg? You would hurt him Hikage-chan." Haruka didn't stop her hand and Hikage's face displayed her annoyance. Haruka was right. That didn't stop her from trying to reach Haruka's hand to slap it away.

"Mirai-chan? Whatcha doing with the laptop?" Naruto ignored the two girls who were holding him and trying to fight each other.

"I asked her to find me the best prices for bean sprouts nearby Naruto-san! Did you know there's an untapped market for bean sprouts on the internet? Society doesn't seem to hold them in high regards." Yomi also moved close to the group. The Hebijo elites were all crowded around the large couch now.

"... Mirai-chan, can you teach me how to use the computer a little better? I mean you don't have to, but since you are the best one here with them I figured you could help the most." Mirai blushed at the fact that he chose her out of everyone.

"O-Of course. I am the best with computers! None of these cows can compare!" She covered her mouth with her hands as she realized what slipped out. Naruto started laughing loudly. "S-Sorry! Sorry..." Mirai shut her eyes tightly, expecting the outcome of her words to be negative. Slipping out of the grip of Hikage and Haruka, Naruto placed himself next to the seated Mirai. Grabbing her small hands, he pulled them away from her eyes.

"Hey, it's alright. They are your teammates Mirai-chan, you can mess around. I found it funny, but sometimes it's hard for people to tell if you're joking or not." He leaned closer to her and began to whisper. "I swear they are all drinking or eating something around here. Is that normal?" Naruto jokingly made a gesture towards his chest, hinting at the busty figures of almost every girl he's known. Mirai began to smile against her will. She was about to start teaching him basics about the laptop before she noticed four people standing over Naruto.

"N-Naruto-san..." Mirai stuttered out and he blinked at her.

"What...?" Turning around he was face to face with four girls.

"Naruto-kun? Are you trying to say something about our development?" Haruka asked him with a close eyed smile.

"... You like them and you're sitting here slandering them. Naru..." Hikage made her disapproval known about his whisper.

Homura grinned, she wanted another excuse to mess with Naruto, this worked perfectly for her. Yomi did not enjoy hearing her body could be developed from her eating habits. Bean sprouts were healthy! She would have to teach Naruto the hard way.

"Girls girls... calm down. I'm joking around ya know?" They didn't drop their expressions. "Okay... Mirai-chan..." Naruto inched closer to the girl and closed her laptop slowly. Handing the laptop to her, Mirai didn't know what he was planning, and she became embarrassed when he picked her up bridal style. "Let's get outta here!" The elite girls watched him dash towards the rooms exit.

"By the way! A girl felt me up within my first ten minutes on campus! I didn't have a chance to let anyone know without fearing for my life, but since I'm making my escape..." Naruto hurriedly left the room, Homura and Yomi were right on his heels despite his claim of being groped.

"Hikage-chan?" Haruka turned to the oddly calm girl. "You're not going to chase him?" She found it strange that Hikage wasn't the first to track him down.

"No. Why would I chase him... he has to return to me eventually." Hikage sat down on the couch and pulled out her mother's knife. Flipping the blade lazily she spoke again. "He can run Haruka. He can't hide. He also can't sleep anywhere else..." Haruka giggled before daintily sitting next to her teammate and friend.

"... You think the girl who groped him was like Akio? If so, we don't have anything to worry about." Haruka questioned Hikage. Hikage felt a sting of jealousy at the 'we' in that sentence before she shook her head.

"I have a feeling it wasn't a big muscled girl..." Hikage locked her yellow eyes onto Haruka's amused greens. "How good are you at interrogation?"

"Oh Hikage-chan, we are going to get along so well." Hikage enjoyed and hated the way Haruka's face lit up while answering.

A beautiful friendship was blooming from the most unlikely scenarios.

* * *

The week flew by as Naruto began adjusting more to his new mission and life. Balancing Hanzo and Hebijo wasn't that hard even though he missed being with his own group everyday. Hikage more than made up for their lost time together at night but he shuddered remembering how Haruka tried forcing information out of him. Straight up asking wouldn't work and cornering him only ended with her blushing because her own lewd thoughts.

It was completely wrong for her to tie him up and toss him into the community showers with Akio. How Haruka knew the huge shinobi would be in there, he had no idea. And he didn't understand why someone who graduated was using the showers for students. The only positive that came out of that situation was it forced him into using one handed seals for a very handy jutsu. The _Kawarimi no Jutsu _was a life saver as far as he was concerned. If he hadn't used that jutsu to escape, he didn't know what would have happened. Naruto immediately broke and told both girls about Katsuragi. Hikage had to hold him extra tight that night due to his fear of Akio breaking into their room.

When asked what they would do with the information about Katsuragi, they both smiled. That's the only answer he got out of them. He placed his head against a tree as he tried to focus on his own exercise. He was simply balancing leaves with chakra on his fingertips before shredding them with his own wind nature. Kurama said this killed two birds with one stone, as it gave him more control on both fronts. Although, Naruto noticed when he used his _Shinobi Tenshin_, the ability to use anything related to his chakra nature was far easier. Even if Kurama has been stingy with letting him learn new techniques.

"Naru-kun. Are we still good for today? I'm starving even after all that ramen at lunch." Katsuragi landed in front of him in her transformed state. They were in a clearing near Hanzo Academy for some light training. Katsuragi's outfit made him feel many, _many_ emotions. Bewilderment was among the top. Her outfit wasn't complex, not at all. It was a school uniform but changed slightly. Her usual Hanzo Academy shirt with a blue plaid skirt covering her muscled thighs. The shirt made no sense to him. It was unbuttoned to reveal almost her entire chest. Somehow... someway... by some magic, her nipples were not revealed. Even when she moved, nothing. Naruto knew she could not sit still for a second, but she never exposed herself.

Katsuragi's main weapon on the other hand was her mechanical iron greaves. They were large on her feet, yet she moved with ease. She even decorated them with the same blue ribbons she had in her hair. Naruto was fascinated by that as a weapon. Especially since she happily showed him how they worked. Channeling her shinobi energy into the greaves allowed them to transform in their own way. Katsuragi was able to create small whirlwinds for levitating and for propelling herself forward into the air. Dropping the shredded leaves, he stood to his full height and gave her a cocky smile.

"Yes. I hope you remember our bet." Naruto had to dodge one of her kicks as she tried attacking him.

"Damn it! How the hell do you dodge every time? I thought I had you off guard with that question." Katsuragi kept one leg raised, ready to throw another kick out. Naruto strictly kept his eyes on her pouting face. The blue and white striped panties were doing their best to draw his attention. He couldn't lose. Not to a piece of fabric.

"Maybe you're too slow Katsu-chan." He shrugged and ducked a high kick that soared for his head. Katsuragi was instructed to train with him while Ikaruga assisted Kiriya with the other girls. Apparently they were practicing summoning today and Ikaruga was better suited to help with that.

"H-Hey stop with that stupid nickname." Katsuragi knelt and pretended to inspect her greaves when in reality the name got to her. She was getting embarrassed around this boy and she didn't know why.

"Nope. You keep calling me 'Naru-kun' so deal with it." He stuck his tongue out at her and widened his eyes at another frontal assault. Raising a forearm to block the greave, he channeled chakra to the limb. Those iron boots were no joke and if he didn't use his chakra in his untransformed state... well she could probably break a bone or two with them.

"Argh! I would keep trying to kick your ass..." Katsuragi giggled at her own joke and Naruto deadpanned at the poor attempt at humor. "But I'm hungry. What do you say we ditch this and grab food now? Kiriya-sensei won't even notice." She loved training, especially kicking things repeatedly, but hunger was calling.

"If you're that eager to let me earn a free favor, sure. I'm the undisputed king of ramen." He stuck his nose up on the air in a show of mock superiority. Katsuragi hit him on the chest with an eye roll.

"I wanna meet whoever the hell made you king and kick them. Multiple times." A bright light covered her form as she ended her _Shinobi Tenshin_. Her Hanzo uniform was now less provocative. "Come on fake king, let's go get some good ass ramen!" Katsuragi wasted no time in pulling his arm along with her. Naruto felt conflicted at the way everything was going with Hanzo Academy.

In only a week, Katsuragi was treating him like her best friend. Asuka and Hibari were always welcoming and friendly. Ikaruga and Yagyū were not quite as loud with support for him being in their little group but they certainly never complained. Kiriya watched him like a predator at all times. Naruto made sure to think before showing off any of his shinobi training. All Kiriya knew for the time being involving his true skill set was he was able to summon a creature when he transformed. Everything else Naruto played off as being trained by his adopted mother. Which wasn't necessarily a lie, Hinata did teach him a lot. Naruto couldn't help but compare Suzune to Kiriya, it was something in the way they taught their students.

"-Then when she tried fixing that hole in the girls locker room, I slapped her on the ass, and she ran out of there embarrassed! I wish you could have seen it." Katsuragi looked back and noticed Naruto spaced out during her retelling of what she deemed to be a good story. Scowling, she pinched his held arm harshly and smiled when he flinched. Narrowing his eyes and rubbing his sore flesh he had one question.

"Why?"

"When a lady tells an interesting story, you are supposed to listen. Were you raised by wolves Naru-kun?"

"...Sorry. Start over then. I was just thinking about the ramen. As ramen king, I get distracted." He played off his wandering thoughts with a joke and Katsuragi snapped her fingers together.

"Fine! You're getting the longer version of the story as punishment. It was Wednesday afternoon, I'd say around noon..."

Naruto smiled as he listened to her ridiculous story that involved a woman trying to fix the hole Katsuragi made in a changing room of all things. This felt bittersweet to him. It was a feeling he tried squashing down. Katsuragi was someone he really enjoyed being friends with, even if he knew the end result wouldn't be pretty. Whatever Dōgen was planning had something to do with these girls.

"AND she said, "Excuse me!". Of course, I had to do it again, the groping I mean." Katsuragi continued to go on with her story much to his amusement. Her entire story contained nonsense and filler that had no place being there. Naruto was convinced she made everything up. The small story time ended when they ended up in the shopping district of Asakusa. Neither realized how fast the trip was because of Katsuragi's poorly planned retelling.

"Here we are!" Katsuragi shouted with her hands on her hips. Pulling Naruto along with her into a nicely themed ramen restaurant named Ichiran Ramen. Naruto didn't even have a chance to take in the decor or the delicious smells as Katsuragi forced him into sitting down. Shoulder to shoulder she grinned and gave a low chuckle.

"You ready to taste defeat ramen king?" She rubbed her hands together like a cliché villain. Naruto flicked her on the nose and gave her a grin to match.

"You're going to eat those mocking words ya know." The second they were able to place their order, the competition would start. Green and blue eyes glinted at the challenge. Only a few seconds later they called out their orders.

Piles upon piles of ramen bowls stacked up to the ceiling. It was comical in a way. No way should a human being be able to consume so much food in such a short period of time and continue eating. Naruto and Katsuragi attacked the ramen with passion for their favorite food. All the while throwing out insults and taunts, much to the other customers annoyance or amusement.

Finally a sense of fatigue affected someone... and it happened to be Naruto. Forty five bowls of ramen. He was defeated at last. Sparing a weary glance at Katsuragi he tried counting her piled bows. She stopped slurping up the remaining food to slam a bowl loudly on the table.

"Forty six! That's forty six!" Katsuragi was beaming as she put the bowl down. Naruto's jaw dropped in shock. How the hell did she do this? She won? Him... the ramen king, defeated by a mere girl.

"I am the ramen king now! Bow to me Naru-kun! I can see you are defeated. Accept your defeat with dignity!" Katsuragi began to boast as she got into his face. Naruto visibly slumped in despair.

'**What... what is this girl?' **Kurama was awake to witness such a barbaric display. Naruto couldn't even respond to his partner right now.

"I win hehehehe!" She continuously poked him in the ribs to get a reaction. Naruto weakly grabbed her hand and started chuckling.

"Alright alright. You win this time. Damn it... where does all that ramen go?" He couldn't help but wonder.

"Isn't it obvious?!" Katsuragi had no shame in grabbing her own bust and jiggling it a few times. "These girls need to eat you know?" It should have embarrassed him or made him blush due to her actions in public but all he felt was more laughter bursting to the surface. She began cracking up alongside him. Whatever customers that were left glared at them now.

Paying for their gigantic meal, something the chef loved and hated, they exited the restaurant finally. The sun was beginning to set and its last rays were cast down onto the streets.

Naruto felt something impact with his back and braced himself. Warm breath hit his ears and a groaning voice spoke to him.

"Carry me... I literally don't want to move." Katsuragi was stuffed completely after that display. That's the most ramen she's ever eaten in her life.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow up as he wasn't used to doing this for anyone besides his girls. Figuring it couldn't hurt, he knelt down and let her get onto him. The large breasts pushing into him was a familiar feeling at this point.

'**You're becoming desensitized boy.' **Kurama was speaking only facts today.

"Was it worth it Katsuragi-chan?" Naruto heard her groan in discomfort.

"...Yep. I get a nice favor. Suck it Naruto..." She was too tired from overeating to even use the little nickname she made up. Naruto hooked his arms between her thighs to support her and started to walk.

"Er... Katsu-chan... I don't know where the hell I'm going." His lack of direction was showing again. Katsuragi giggled lowly before pulling on his ear.

"I'll direct you, just follow the sound of my voice." She blew into his ear and he felt his body shiver, her giggling only increased. "I still got it even when I'm half dead from ramen. You're too easy..." Naruto pinched her thigh, getting a loud yelp from her.

"Two things. One, that's revenge for earlier and two, I'm not easy." Katsuragi pulled on his ear again.

"Whatever you say loser king, now follow my directions." Naruto grumbled at her command and followed her directions perfectly.

Katsuragi led him to another train station near the academy. Waiting for a train with her on his back, Naruto couldn't help his curiosity again.

"You don't stay in the dormitory?" He was used to Hebijo's living conditions by now.

"Nah... I have a house. I stay there sometimes with the girls but for the most part I'm home alone." Katsuragi's voice was subdued, losing the traces of joy and happiness. Naruto picked up on her sadness quickly. Katsuragi was emotional, but this was a big change.

"Hey. You don't have to be alone you know? You can invite the girls over to stay with you or I'll even come by and hang out Katsuragi-chan." Naruto didn't enjoy hearing about people being alone. That's one of the many things he was passionate about.

"Hehe... is that how you ask for another date?" Katsuragi smiled at the tint of red she picked up before he turned his head away. The sound of a train arriving alerted them both. Tapping his head, he helped her down and she stumbled for a second.

"That ramen is killer. You know what they say right? The things you like most will kill you... or something like that." Those words were meant to be a joke, but Naruto felt a stab at his heart. They were becoming friends and he knew that was not good. Hebijo... Dōgen and Reo... they expected him to go along with whatever this mission was.

"That's my train. Thanks for hanging out Naru-kun, I haven't had fun like that in a long time." Katsuragi grinned up at him and flipped her hair to the side. Weakly smiling because his regret over this situation, he scratched at his neck.

"It was really nice Katsu-chan, nobody has ever eaten more ramen than me. That's a first." Katsuragi gave a sneaky smile at his words.

"Maybe I'll be taking some more firsts of yours Naru-kun." Seeing his stunned face, she dashed off to the train. "Hehehe! Like I said! You're too easy!" Katsuragi waved cheekily as the doors closed.

Naruto sighed, that girl was different. The train pulled out of the station quickly and he couldn't deny that he had a good time with her. He noticed there was no one else in the station now, only the sound of faint wind howling was picked up by his ears. Not wind... no... something was up.

'**Naruto...'**

'I know it feels like a _Shinobi Kekkai_.'

Pulling a scroll out of his pocket, his_ Shinobi Tenshin_ activated in no time. A pair of deadly trench knives held in his grip. If there was something he disliked more than being alone... well he _hated_ those barriers.

The clacking of what he imagined to be wooden sandals was heard throughout the station. Holding his knives in a white knuckled grip, he turned his body around with a glare.

Seated on a bench was an aged man, eyes closed with an easy going smile. Dressed in a brown and black kimono, the elder brushed his grey bangs off his forehead. Naruto felt the warm flow of his chakra coursing through his system. His blades ignited with the bright blue essence, a hint of white energy licked at the edges.

"... What do you want? Old man..." Naruto eyed the barrier with disgust.

"Teens these days... so rude. Even after such a hot date. You get those huge jugs pressed against you and you still act disrespectful?" The older man seemed disappointed. Naruto narrowed his eyes and felt his anger spike. Was he following them?

"Oh put those weapons down already boy, I just want to have a little chat. Come take a seat." The old man pointed at the bench he was seated on. Naruto lowered his guard very slightly but kept himself aware for a surprise attack. Kurama was also observing this fully.

"I don't bite. Unless you're a curvy... busty... bouncy... youthful... developed..." The man continued talking even as Naruto sweatdropped.

"Anyway! Naruto Uzumaki. We are long overdue for this talk." The older man finally opened his eyes. Grey eyes that screamed experience and strength zoned in on Naruto.

"Tell me... you don't support the notion that 'flat is justice' do you?"

Naruto struggled to hold on to his blades now. What the...

"A young man like you shouldn't hold such distasteful ideals in his head. Come, let's discuss the finer details of a woman's body."

Naruto and Kurama both couldn't comprehend this strange man.

"I'm not getting any younger over here boy. I need to know, life or hometown?"

Hanzo entered Naruto's life with a question. A question about breasts or asses. This would be the start of a meaningful one sided mentorship.

* * *

**A/N - **The producer of Senran Kagura once said... "Tits are life, ass is hometown." Such a beautiful, well constructed quote. Brings a tear to my eyes. But yes, that's a real quote. Naruto is now meeting with Hanzo, I wonder how that will go hmm.

Katsuragi has officially started bonding with Naruto now. Her eating 46 bowls of ramen was just a reference to Hinata from canon eating that same amount.

If anyone asks, Katsuragi is not a shy person. That's obvious from canon. It makes sense for her to get along with Naruto this quickly. Their personalities fit together well here. She won't change her "hobby" just because she'll come to like being around Naruto. The reason I'll have to focus a lot more on these characters (meaning more interactions etc) is because Naruto was with his Hebijo girls for far longer. We all know how close he is with Hikage and Haruka right now, but someone like Katsuragi needs more than a small section to make it feel like a real friendship.

Oh hey this update was a little late. It's only gonna get harder to update constantly from here on out but I'll do my best. I don't even know if I'll be able to update my other story this weekend lol.

Thanks as always for the reviews, and you know I love them long reviews and PM's from a lot of you. That shits amazing. I also just noticed this story has over 300 favorites and almost 400 follows. That's fucking crazy. A Senran Kagura crossover, getting attention like that. Love you people... unless you think life is better than hometown. You're wrong for that. (Translation : Life = Tits, Hometown = Ass).


	15. Building Trust

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

Naruto tapped his fingers against his leg in a rhythmic pattern. The quiet train station before him was providing the evil shinobi with a certain sense of concern. Seeing as how this old man wasn't looking for a fight, he took the offered seat next to him on the bench.

"Are you going to answer my question?" The aged, yet experienced, voice spoke at his side. Naruto let his eyes meet the elders and he pondered what game he was trying to play here.

"First of all... who are you?" The old man knew his name already and who knows what else. He could be a threat.

The man jumped up, making Naruto tense for a fight. Instead of pulling out a weapon, he threw his arms forward in a strange manner.

"My name is spoken high and low. In hushed whispers by men and screamed by women with pleasure. I am the most glorious shinobi this world has ever seen... the legendary Hanzo!" He screamed his name to the heavens and Naruto was glad a barrier was erected beforehand.

The introduction and stance was rather embarrassing for an aged man to perform.

'**I'm getting flashbacks. Very unnerving flashbacks...' **Kurama made sure to comment.

Naruto also felt that he's seen a person similar to this before, but alas the fragmented memories were still an issue.

"Now that you know my name... Naruto Uzumaki. Life or Hometown?"

Naruto deadpanned at the man. This was a legendary shinobi? He racked his brain to try to remember hearing about this man. Unfortunately, it was coming up blank for the time being.

"Life? Hometown...?" Naruto was rightfully confused and Hanzo sighed in disappointment.

"It seems I must break this down for you. Tits or Ass? I saw you with Katsuragi-chan before. Hehehe, what a pleasant feeling it must have been to have those humongous pillows pressed against you. Or those soft thighs held in your palms. Ah! I envy the youth." Hanzo wiped at his suddenly tearful eyes.

Naruto couldn't get past the question proposed to even ponder why he knew of Katsuragi. "I... think... both?" He didn't know why he answered but Hanzo didn't enjoy that answer.

"Hmph. I won't accept an answer like that. I have much to teach you when it comes to women." Hanzo crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"Oi! Who the hell even are you? I know you said 'Hanzo' but why were you following us and asking me all these weird questions?" Naruto stood up and watched the man wearily.

Hanzo let a sneaky grin creep onto his face. "Maybe I should be asking you the same question boy. Who the hell are you? Your sudden attendance to Hanzo Academy is unusual. Your claims of a clan are ludicrous." His experienced gaze picked up on the very subtle twitch of Naruto's hand. 'Got him...' He wasn't a legendary shinobi for nothing.

"I'm from a lineage of good shinobi. My clan was able to summon different beasts for battle. My claims aren't 'ludicrous' you old pervert!" Naruto defended himself loudly, doing his best to put on an act.

"Oh? Is that so? Then why was there a report a few years ago about some boy entering an evil shinobi academy? I believe it went a little something like he was as 'blond as the sun and had cute whisker markings on his face'. You certainly fit that description, even if I don't consider the markings cute. I appreciate women first and foremost, thank you very much." Hanzo watched Naruto's hands slowly reach for the trench knives again.

"I have no idea what you're talking about old man..." Naruto was on high alert. He didn't know how Hanzo obtained this information and he already felt worried about how this would affect his mission.

"Hmm, I'm sure you don't. Tell me Naruto, what are your intentions with Hanzo Academy?" Hanzo questioned him mysteriously.

"I plan to graduate as a shinobi in a few years, that's all." Naruto wouldn't reveal anything else to the elder. Hanzo's already narrowed eyes turned to slits and he exerted pressure that made Naruto fully grasp his weapons now.

"Do you plan to harm your fellow shinobi? Those girls... do you intend on harming them?" The playful nature of the legendary shinobi disappeared. This was something completely different.

Naruto knew that was a possibility. If Reo or Dōgen ordered it, could he deny them? The only reason he couldn't risk refusal is because of his girls. If Naruto caused any issues for Hebijo, what was stopping them from taking it out on the others? He didn't want to tell the truth here, but it also hurt to lie. He already felt his bond with Katsuragi becoming stronger, especially after tonight.

"No. I don't intend on harming them." As a person Naruto had no intention of doing that. As a shinobi...

"Good! Asuka-chan happens to be my granddaughter you know? I'd have to deal with you myself if you harmed a single hair on her cute little head." Akin to flipping a switch, Hanzo's personality shifted back to what it was before.

"You're... her grandfather?" Naruto was stunned at the claim. Hanzo nodded proudly.

"Yes! As you can tell, our family are all very attractive. I'm sure you've seen how filled out Asuka-chan is becoming. Don't worry I won't be angry if you agree. Even the blind can see how beautiful she is!" Hanzo painted the picture of a adoring family member, if it wasn't for the comment about her developing body.

"She acts nothing like you old man." Naruto's assessment made Hanzo drop his head, that stung a bit.

"Unfortunately, she takes after her grandmother. I can't say it's a bad thing though. My wife's chest was top of the line in her prime... time is a cruel mistress." Hanzo continued to make his perverted comments.

"I see..." Naruto wasn't sure how to respond to such weird statements from a stranger.

Hanzo straightened his body out and again his presence changed. "Tell me... what does being a good or evil shinobi mean to you?" This question was vastly different from the ones pertaining to women's physical features.

Naruto looked down at his feet, genuinely thinking over a suitable answer. "Those are... titles. That's all. Good or evil doesn't matter. We are shinobi first and foremost. Good shinobi work in the light, evil shinobi work in the dark." Naruto paused and thought over his given answer.

Hanzo raised a hand to his face, hiding the smile that formed. "Do you agree with the supposed fight of good versus evil? How the good and evil shinobi hunt each other down to prove dominance in their ideologies?" Such heavy questions were given out in a silent train station.

Furrowing his brow, Naruto looked up at the legendary shinobi. "No. Ideologies shouldn't matter when it comes to our job. We are doing the same missions, it's only a matter of who we accept them from. Good shinobi definitely kill just as the evil shinobi do."

"You certainly share a different point of view than many other upcoming shinobi. If you asked Katsuragi-chan, do you think she'd agree with evil shinobi being the same as her? Do you think she'd enjoy associating with someone 'evil'?" Hanzo's question made Naruto feel a sickening twist in his stomach. "Would she enjoy being _deceived_? Would she trust someone like that?" Naruto grit his teeth at that one.

"I don't know..."

Hanzo hummed lowly as he took in Naruto's state. The boy was so sure of himself until he questioned his blooming relationship with the blonde teenager.

"You know, when training Asuka-chan I made sure to drill one thing into her head. While she certainly believes that good shinobi are fighting for what's 'right', I told her to keep an open mind. I can't speak for the others in her little group, but I know they are good girls. Even that uptight, and very cute, Ikaruga-chan is understanding to some degree. The elimination of all evil shinobi isn't at the forefront of my granddaughters mind. She simply wants to get stronger to protect others. To be both a sword and shield."

Hanzo's words made Naruto sit back down on the bench. His transformation coming undone as he suspected there really was no fighting to come from this. Rubbing at his eyes tiredly he looked up at the legendary shinobi.

"You're not just a perv old man, you know more than you let on." Hanzo began chuckling at Naruto.

"Indeed. You don't live as long as I am without picking up a few tricks. Throwing around power is nice and all, but experience is key in this line of work." Hanzo made a hand sign and Naruto noticed a shift in the air. The _Shinobi Kekkai_ was dispelled easily. Sitting calmly next to the tired teenager, Hanzo cleared his throat.

"This system we have in place... with good and evil shinobi... it's corrupt. Even the academy that is named after my own greatness has fallen prey to the times. Both the politicians and government that are responsible for funding the shinobi do so for their own agenda. It's hard to tell what's really done for the good of the public. Is protecting people from the shadows the end goal? Or is greed the key factor pushing along a system of young and old shinobi?" Hanzo's question's weren't meant to be answered. He was merely speaking his thoughts out loud.

Naruto and Kurama absorbed the words of this man with great interest. As they weren't from this world, the insight they received from a so called legendary shinobi was crucial. "Why are you telling me all this Hanzo?" Naruto avoided being disrespectful for the time being.

"Haha... who knows?" Slapping his own knees, Hanzo rose up and stretched. "I'll be taking my leave now. I wanted to meet you that's all. Sorry for the barrier, I wasn't sure if you'd try to attack first and talk later." Hanzo turned his back to Naruto, and if the boy wanted to, he could attack now.

'Does he really trust that I wouldn't?' Naruto's questioned mentally.

"Naruto. I'm curious as to what type of shinobi you'll grow to become." Out of the corner of his eye, Hanzo watched the curious expression on the boy's face. "You seem like a good kid. I hope you make the right choices. Oh, ask Asuka-chan where you can find me. I have a bit more wisdom to impart on you." With those as his parting words, Hanzo disappeared into the night.

The tag team of bijuu and human sat in contemplation. Hanzo definitely knew of Naruto's connection to Hebijo. As to why he didn't act on it... they couldn't say.

'Were there any negative emotions coming off of him?'

'**The pervert didn't intend to attack you at all. Even when he got serious, he was only testing you. Naruto, that man is not someone to take lightly. He can hold knowledge that can aid us. Don't make an enemy out of him.'** The Kyuubi gave its own input.

Naruto rubbed at the back of his neck and was clearly exasperated. Everything was becoming so complicated. People knew about him, but he had nothing on them. Leaning back on the bench, he stared at the starless sky. He remembered laying in the backyard of their home, staring at the night sky. Hikage would be on his right and Hinata would brush her hand through his messy hair.

'Kaa-chan... I really wish you were around right now...'

Kurama felt Naruto's emotions stir once more. The rogue shinobi who killed Hinata was at the front of his mind always. Naruto may not know of his whereabouts or true power, but it didn't matter.

Reo, Dōgen, Suzune, Kiriya and Hanzo... they all had their own plans in mind. Plotting for whatever reason they may have.

'I think it may be time to put my _Kage Bunshin_ to good use.'

There were benefits to being able to use clones, and Naruto planned to exploit them fully.

* * *

Hikage muttered a string of curses under her breath. It was Saturday now, and Naruto planned a nice day for the two of them.

They don't get many days off, but when they did, Naruto made sure she was priority number one. Due to the nice weather, he set up a nice picnic in a park close by Hebijo.

'A picnic... meant for two...' She narrowed her eyes at the sheepish Naruto.

"Hikage-san, please try the salad I've prepared!" A plate of bright green was shoved into her vision and Hikage felt her eye twitch.

"Gross. Bastard, did you at least bring anything with meat?"

"Homura-chan, there's some sandwiches Naruto-kun packed in the basket."

"Sweet! Thanks Haruka."

Hikage felt her levels of annoyance reaching new heights. The sight of Mirai leaning against Naruto's back as she quietly snacked on a chocolate bar could be considered cute.

If it wasn't interrupting their date.

Hikage moved to his right side with a flat expression. Leaning in closer, she began to whisper. "Naru... why did you bring them along?" Her boyfriend sighed with that damn smile she loved so much.

"They saw me leaving with the basket and I couldn't resist inviting them... sorry Hebi-chan."

The snake eyed girl huffed and glared at the mocking smile on Haruka's face.

"N-Naruto-san, I got you something." Mirai's subdued voice called out to him from behind his back. Naruto turned to the small first year and watched her curiously as she dug into her small bag.

Mirai retrieved a black rectangular device from her bag. Naruto appeared confused before his face lit up, he knew what this was!

"Is that a cellphone?!" She got this for him?

Mirai presented it to him shyly and he grinned brightly and scooped her up. Placing the girl on his lap, he hugged the life out of her.

"Y-Yes. Since you're not around during the week, I figured you can use this to keep in contact..." Mirai's face was lit up with an atomic blush. The first year wasn't used to even the smallest of affection.

"This is amazing!" Naruto turned the smartphone over in his hand and admired the sleek design.

"Not all of us have phones though Mirai-chan. How can they keep in contact with Naruto-kun?" Haruka was right. Out of the five girls, only Mirai and herself had a cellphone.

Mirai wrestled her head out of Naruto's strong hug to turn to the third year. "I... asked Suzune-sensei and she allowed me to get phones for the others. They are in my bag..."

Homura paused mid bite of Naruto's sandwich as she heard Mirai. Yomi looked scandalized and Hikage was indifferent.

"Mirai-san, I cannot accept any gifts this expensive. We must practice being frugal! It is essential to being a shinobi." Yomi began her usual lecture and Homura slapped her on the back.

"Nice Mirai! I've never had a phone before." Homura shot her a thumbs up with her free hand.

"B-But we don't need the technology..." Yomi told the group of shinobi. Haruka rose an eyebrow before smirking.

"Yomi-chan, you can find the best places for bean sprout sales instantly using the phone. You can also call Naruto-kun whenever to ensure he helps you tend to your plants." The temptation Haruka spoke of convinced Yomi far too easily. Her fellow blonde started nodding her head happily.

"Very well! I accept. Although I owe you for this Mirai-san." Naruto deadpanned at how easy it was for Yomi to change her stance on technology.

Hikage still appeared indifferent and Haruka made sure to capitalize on that opportunity. "Naruto-kun now I can send you whatever... _images_ I want at any time. Maybe like this?" Haruka pulled down the front of her loose camisole in an effort to show her cleavage to the boy.

Hikage threw the picnic basket at the teasing girl. The entire wooden basket made contact with Haruka's face. The third year's smile turned strained at her 'rival'.

"Naru. I will be using the phone to send you pictures. Not her." Hikage offered Mirai a gracious nod. Naruto rubbed the top of Mirai's head as he took in their little group.

A warm feeling spread through him as he observed them. Yes, it was supposed to be a date with Hikage, but he would make it up to her. Connecting the girls via friendship was his current goal. There was definitely progress, even if it was slow. Homura still didn't open up to anyone and Yomi bottled up her deeper emotions at times, except when it came to her favorite food. Mirai was also a work in progress, although her thoughtfulness with the phones was a big leap forward.

Funnily enough, the 'emotionless' Hikage and the 'manipulative' Haruka were the closest. He knew of their unique relationship situation, and in a way it was good for them. He tried not to think on the whole two girlfriend thing for the time being, that was also happening slowly.

Haruka snapping her fingers alerted the whole group. She reached into her cleavage again and withdrew a small piece of paper. "Naruto-kun, this was outside of your room today. I figured I'd hold onto it." Haruka flipped the paper to him easily.

Catching it, he began opening it up. His eyes traced the small set of words. 'Need help. At home. Mura. - Imu'. It was a strange way to write out the sentence and he noticed Mirai reading it subtly from his lap.

"Who gave you that Naru?" Hikage kept her eyes on her love.

"I bet it's someone he's having a secret affair with!" Homura finished up her 'stolen' sandwich just in time to mess with Naruto. Yomi gasped at the claim.

"Naruto-san! Tell me it isn't true. Is that from another girl?" All eyes were on him now.

"Um... it is from a girl." He felt the warm breeze against his skin turn bitter. He didn't need to look at Hikage or Haruka to know they were suspicious. "Wait! It's from Imu! Remember? Imu. She needs help with her sister, that's all." Homura started chuckling at his flustered state, it was a job well done for her.

"Imu?" Yomi and Mirai seemed confused.

"A staff using lesbian." Hikage's description only added to the newer girls bewilderment.

Haruka laughed awkwardly. "I suppose that's not... untrue Hikage-chan. She was a third year at Hebijo before a mission took her whole squad out of commission. She's practically retired from being a shinobi. I am curious as to why she wants your help Naruto-kun?" The eyes fell onto him again. This time Naruto glared at Homura, preemptively shutting her up, making her smile patronizingly.

"I checked up on her sister in the past. She's an odd girl who doesn't leave her room much. Since Imu-chan is constantly by Miyabi-chan's side during the day, I figured why not ya know?" He shrugged, making Mirai's small body move alongside him.

"Naruto-san... are you close to them?" Mirai noticed the way he addressed the two females.

"They hate my guts! At least Imu-chan used to...? Or maybe she still does? I'm not too sure about that." Hikage sighed at Naruto's outlook. She remembered how both those girls eyed him with disgust. Though it wasn't too surprising Imu changed when she considered the kind of person Naruto was. He worked his way into everyone's life in a positive way. Someone like Imu, who quite literally had that staff shoved up her ass, was requesting him for help. It showed how he affected others.

"I'm coming Naru." Hikage's tone left no room for argument, not that he would. He was sure Imu wouldn't mind an extra person to help with the problem.

Picking up Mirai's light form, he placed her onto the soft grass and looked over each girl again. His eyes lingered on Haruka's for a second longer.

"I'll stay here and help the girls figure out their new phones. Don't worry about us Naruto-kun, we can hangout more later." Haruka told him pleasantly. Naruto gave her a bright smile that caused her heart to beat faster.

'I need to make a move... faster. I need him to fall for me.' Haruka's been waiting literal years for her chance at Naruto and with Hikage's 'approval' she had to try. And soon.

"Mira-chan? Do you think you can help me with my phone later? Since you're the best at this, I want you to teach me." Naruto faced the small teen.

Mirai had to hold back a yell. She's heard people call her 'the best' or other 'positive' terms in the past. They were always said mockingly though. Naruto genuinely meant it, and she had to hold back her natural reaction. She smiled lopsidedly at the older boy. Naruto gave her two thumbs up before offering a hand down to Hikage.

"Alright! I'll be in your care later Mirai-sensei." Mirai blushed at the teacher suffix attached to her name. Hikage held Naruto's hand before tilting her head in his direction. Their connection told him enough and he bent down to present his back to her. Throwing herself at him, she snuggled closely to the one she loved.

Naruto turned to the still seated girls on the picnic blanket. "Enjoy the food Yomi-chan. Behave Homura-chan, or I won't take you out to the park anymore."

"Talk to me like a dog again and I'll show you how many swords can fit through your abdomen."

"Our talks are nice." Naruto saluted his girls before setting out with Hikage clinging to his back.

Haruka watched with a wistful gaze, hoping she could be that close to him constantly.

"I doubt that even feels good. I don't know why you all like riding on his back like a child." Homura crossed her arms and turned her face upwards.

"Homura-san, I disagree. It's quite relaxing for Naruto-san to carry you like that." Yomi pleaded her own case and Mirai felt her curiosity stir.

"I doubt it. Who would want to be that close to a boy like him anyway." Homura's words were delivered without any of the usual heat and Haruka reflected on her words.

The ever analytical mind of Haruka knew there was something deeper when it came to Homura's apparent dislike for Naruto. Sure, they butted heads, but Naruto never did anything to make her insult him constantly. She didn't consider Naruto's episode of scaring the crap out of the girl to be a key point of disgust, Homura needed that wake up call. However, there was definitely a hidden factor at play when it came to the hot headed girls personality.

Homura watched the one boy she couldn't stand exit the park with clenched fists. Boys... she'd couldn't trust one again. That thought made her chest tighten painfully. Trusting people hurt.

All she needed to do was become stronger.

She swept her gaze across the remaining group of Hebijo girls poking at the cellphones Mirai retrieved.

Trust...

Naruto's playful laughter and comments echoed throughout her head. Mirai began to hold out a black and red smartphone to her now.

Trust... could she trust these people?

Mirai's innocent face invaded her thoughts as the girl held the phone out patiently.

Homura reached out to grasp the object.

'You dumb bastard... it's your fault I spend all this time thinking about shit like this...'

As she cursed the boy in her head, the smile forming on her face at Yomi's shock pertaining to the phone screen and Haruka's accompanied laughter couldn't be suppressed.

Trust is built upon slowly. Trust is destroyed in the blink of an eye.

So why did she want to trust these people? These foolish girls and that idiot who wouldn't stop smiling.

Naruto sparked her new purpose and she'd be damned if she went back on her word.

Trust was important to being a leader.

Homura would be a leader. Or she would die trying.

* * *

"This is the place?" Hikage lifted her head off her boyfriend's shoulder to take in the comfortable two story home.

"Yep. I actually broke in through that window right there." Naruto pointed at the right side of the house. Hikage leaned over to look him in the eye.

"Why?"

"Eh... shinobi stuff?"

"No."

Naruto pouted before approaching the front door, he inclined his head towards it as a sign to Hikage. The green haired girl nodded and did as he requested. Knocking on the door lightly, it would only take a few seconds for rapid footsteps to reach their ears.

The door swung open and Hikage was surprised at how different Imu looked. The older girls body was still in perfect condition, but her face and disheveled clothing was unflattering. Deep bags, messy hair and lopsided glasses were not the best combination.

"Naruto-san? You've actually came... and Hikage?" Imu adjusted the glasses onto her face as she studied the duo before her. It's been some time since she's seen Hikage.

"Yo retired staff girl." Imu wasn't a fan of Hikage's informal greeting but Naruto cleared his throat to avoid a confrontation from occurring.

"Imu-chan are you alright? You... uh... look kinda tired?" Naruto worded it nicely and Hikage had to give him credit. Imu was more than tired.

"Not really Naruto-san. As a matter of fact I haven't slept in over two days. Come in, I'll explain the situation further." Imu opened the door wider to allow their entry. Naruto thanked her and kicked his shoes off. Hikage slowly followed his action, unhappy to have to get off his back.

Imu led them to them to the living room and motioned towards the moderate sized couches. Hikage pushed Naruto onto the cushion and placed herself on his lap. Imu didn't bother to question their relationship, it wasn't her business after all.

"Naruto-san, I need your help. As you know, my sister is... different. She remains closed off in her room daily and refuses to come out. Recently, she's been having outbursts when I would return home." Imu paused to ponder how much she should reveal. Closing her eyes, she sighed deeply. Naruto, for all his faults, was the only person she could rely on right now. "Her power has been dubbed the 'Root of Calamity'. One that manifests itself when she is under emotional duress. Whatever has been going on with her recently has caused this to spike. I fear that I'd have to fight my own sister in the future." Imu seldom remembered how Murasaki once turned her power against her. That sickening Root of Calamity was capable of killing a person.

Naruto listened with rapt attention and Hikage followed his example. He couldn't believe Murasaki was the holder of a power that sounded that sinister. She seemed nice enough when he... broke into her room. Not his best moment, he'd admit. Seeing how shaken up Imu was, Naruto offered his assistance.

"What do you need me to do? I'll do my best to help Imu-chan." Naruto told her boldly.

Imu felt like a weight was being removed from her shoulders. Her parents haven't been home in some time, they were away on shinobi business. She spent most of her days maintaining Miyabi's condition at the hospital, which left Murasaki alone. Alone in every sense of the word. The girl isolated herself completely.

"Please, try to talk to her Naruto-san. Maybe she'll answer you. I can't even enter her room without feeling the suffocating aura of her Root of Calamity." Deep down Imu was a proud girl. She didn't want to ask others for help. Not even her best friend, Miyabi. After her failed mission and seeing how quickly life can be flipped upside down, she looked at things with a new perspective. Imu was still an evil shinobi to the core, but she realized enlisting in the help of others was essential at times.

It certainly would have prevented a lot of troubles... such as Miyabi's comatose state.

"Okay, I'll try to talk to her Imu-chan. I can't promise anything though." Naruto lifted Hikage and stood up.

"That's all I can ask Naruto-san. Thank you once again. I... owe you." Naruto waved her off with his hands.

"Nah, friends don't owe each other." Such a dismissive statement, yet it was profound to Imu.

'Friends... he claims to be friends...' Imu had only one true friend before. One that had a slim chance of waking up.

"She's still on the second floor right?" Naruto walked to the staircase by the living room quickly.

Imu looked at him and nodded. "Yes. The same room you inappropriately broke into." Her scathing comment made him rub at his neck nervously.

"It was shinobi stuff..."

"It was not."

"She's right Naru." Hikage made sure to chime in.

Ducking his head low, he proceeded to the bedroom. Hikage turned her attention to the anxiety filled Imu.

"So..."

Imu rose a delicate eyebrow as Hikage began to speak.

"Still use a staff?"

Conversation was going to be very dull in that living room.

While the two Hebijo grown shinobi awkwardly sat together, Naruto traversed the short hallways of Imu's home.

'**Naruto, whatever power this girl has, it's oppressing. Not in the sense of strength, but emotion. The door to your left is where it's the strongest. It's been sometime since I've felt something that depressing.'**

Naruto focused on the last word of Kurama's statement. Depressing... was Murasaki depressed? That changed the situation entirely.

Knocking on the bedroom door, Naruto began to call out. "Murasaki? It's... Naruto. The guy who broke into your room to check up on you. Remember? Anyway... do you think we can talk for a bit?" He waited patiently for over a minute, but he received no answer. Pressing an ear to the door, he couldn't even make out a single sound.

'Kurama are you sure she's in there?'

'**I'm positive. She's probably hiding from you.' **Naruto frowned and knocked again. After waiting for another couple minutes, he figured this would get him nowhere.

His hand grip the doorknob and gave it a small push. To his surprise, it opened with no resistance. His eyes were peering into pure darkness. He vaguely remembered at least some light in his previous visit.

Channeling chakra to his eyes, he squinted into the dark. In the far left corner of the room, there was a large pile of blankets. Blankets that looked to almost be breathing. Making sure to keep his footsteps light, Naruto closed the door behind him.

"Murasaki-chan? Are you okay?" He noticed the pile stop breathing. "I know you're under those blankets. Talk to me please." Naruto walked closer to the corner. The only way he could see was thanks to his chakra, the room really was that dark.

As he was a few steps away, he noticed the pile trembling even more. Naruto extended his hand in an effort to remove the blankets carefully.

'**Naruto that's not a smart idea...'**

'What choice do I have?'

He pulled the blanket back and his body moved in time to evade a tendril of purple energy. He closed his eyes to blink for only a second, and in that brief period, another tendril smacked right into his stomach. The purple energy lit up the room decently.

Naruto was sent flying back towards the bed on the right side of the room. He noted the intense burning on his abdomen and grimaced in pain.

'**It's slightly similar to my own chakra. However, this **_**can**_** hurt you, judging by the nice burn mark settling above your seal.'**

Putting two fingers to the area, he hissed at the sensation. It would heal, but damn if it didn't hurt. Naruto sat up on her bed and channeled some of Kurama's chakra to his eyes. This allowed his vision to be even better than before. The trembling hidden Murasaki was all but shaking now.

Naruto calmed himself down, it would do no good to be angry at the girl. Imu said her power was dangerous. He doubted she could control it very well judging by how it flailed about.

'**Don't tell me you're going to try again...'**

Naruto already was taking steps towards the downed girl once more.

"Murasaki. I know you can't control this Root of Calamity thing, but Imu and I are worried about you. I'm begging you to talk to me, at least let me know if you're alright." Naruto crouched in front of the bundle of fabric.

The shuffling finally stopped and Murasaki removed the top blanket that allowed her face to barely be seen.

"Worried?" The girls extremely soft voice didn't fit a wielder of such a dangerous ability. Her eyes watched Naruto's like a cornered animal. Ready to bolt at any moment.

"Yes. Your sister said you haven't been answering her and you've been acting strangely." Naruto kept his voice even, trying to soothe the girl.

Murasaki began to mumble, and Naruto had to strain his ears to pick up on it.

"She doesn't care... she doesn't care about me anymore..." Naruto noticed the girl began to rock back and forth, her distress was easily apparent.

"Murasaki-chan, why do you think Imu-chan doesn't care? She told me she hasn't slept in days because of you."

Murasaki's sad eyes drilled deep into Naruto. "She's worried? Worried about me? After everything I've done to her..."

Naruto held a hand out to the girl and she traced her eyes over him. "Murasaki-chan, can you come sit down with me? We can talk on your bed. It'll be more comfortable than the floor ya know?" Having never been offered a hand before, Murasaki hesitated heavily before daintily touching Naruto.

Standing from his crouch, he pulled her to her feet and the blankets fell off her form. Due to the chakra channeled to his eyes, he was able to see her outside of the blankets for the first time. Light purple pajamas covered her body, complimenting her bright purple hair. Naruto didn't let his stare linger long, now wasn't the time for that.

Shuffling across the floor with the girl, he walked her over the bed. He sat on one side and maintained a considerable distance, doing his best to keep her comfortable. Murasaki pulled her knees close to her chest and didn't let her stare linger from Naruto.

"Phew, that's some strong ability you got. Look at what it did to my stomach!" Naruto pointed to the bright red mark and torn shirt. Murasaki widened her eyes in alarm and curled up in a ball. Naruto sputtered when he realized that may have not been the best thing to say.

"H-Hey Murasaki-chan, I'm fine though! It hurt but I'm like super strong. This can't keep me down for long!" In a show of his strength, he slapped his burnt skin and twitched to hold back a shout.

'**Idiot...'**

'Fake it till you make it Kurama.'

'**What a stupid expression.'**

"Super... strong?" Murasaki's voice broke him out of his internal conversation. Pointing a thumb towards himself, he laughed lightly.

"Yup! I'm an elite at Hebijo and I've been training for years. Believe me, it takes more than one hit to take me down." His smile was lighting up the very dark room.

"I wish I was super strong... then... Sis would need me..." Murasaki dejectedly stated. Naruto dropped his smile.

"Imu-chan has been really busy Murasaki-chan. Her best friends been in a coma and she mentioned your parents aren't home a lot. She's got a lot on her plate, even if she retired from the shinobi life. She doesn't mean to ignore you I'm sure. That's why she wanted me to come talk to you, she was getting sick over not knowing if you were alright." After he concluded speaking, the room was silent once again. Murasaki kept her unblinking gaze on the mattress below them. An idea popped into Naruto's head, one that would hopefully be beneficial to the shut in girl.

"Murasaki-chan, you're already pretty strong but wouldn't you like to train a bit? I wouldn't mind training with you." His offer was answered by a sad look sent his way.

"I... never wanted to be a shinobi. I hurt Sis. Our parents didn't give me a choice... I want to be strong, but I don't want to hurt people. Not like I did to Sis." Naruto, always the bleeding heart, felt for this girl. Another person who didn't fit the image of being an evil shinobi. She was forced into this life style.

"You don't have to train with me Murasaki-chan, I won't force you to do anything. If you do want help controlling this power of yours, I'll be there though. That's a promise." Naruto's declaration was firm and downstairs Hikage felt her Naruto senses go off. The senses that told her he was making promises again...

"A promise..."

"Yes. Wait a minute... Do you have a phone Murasaki-chan?" Seeing her slowly nod to his question, he smiled. "Great! I just got a phone today, I don't know how to use it or anything, but do you want to give me your number? We can um... text! I think that's what it's called. Seeing that huge computer you have, I figure you must have some experience with technology."

"I do..."

"Awesome. You can teach me some things as well! If you don't mind of course..." He didn't want to push himself onto the girl, though he saw this as a way for her to open up.

Murasaki lifted her head up fully and her eyes were fully accustomed to the dark room. Moving closer to Naruto, hoping he didn't notice, she breathed in deeply.

'He smells... good.' It was conflicting with what he should smell like. As an evil shinobi, he shouldn't smell so good. Murasaki was briefly reminded of the feelings characters from her favorite stories would describe when using certain drugs. It was intoxicating to the shut in girl.

Naruto did notice her sniffing him subtly. Hikage had a habit of doing that for whatever reason, and while it was weird, he did get used to it. That's why he wasn't disturbed by Murasaki. He scratched his cheek and waited for her to stop.

"You can have my number... Naruto..." That was the first time she said his name and he's never heard it spoken that softly. Murasaki rose from her bed and approached a desk holding her supplies and computer. Using the knowledge of her own room, the dark didn't affect her as she pulled out a slip of paper and wrote down the digits to her phone number. Walking back and hiding under her covers, she nervously handed off the number. Naruto accepted it gently.

"Thanks a lot Murasaki-chan. I hope we can be friends in the future. I really mean that, trust me. I'm going to send Imu-chan up here to talk now." Naruto planned to let the sisters talk amongst themselves. It was family business, not his own. His job was done, rather well if you didn't count the injury.

Murasaki followed his exit with a conflicted expression. Friends... she didn't need friends. Being alone was all that mattered to her. Humans were lonely creatures in her eyes. The only thing that challenged her preset thinking was his scent. As odd as it sounded, her nose was special. Even her sister had a scent that held lingering resentment. Naruto had no such thing. After her raging power lashed out at him, he still offered her a warm hand.

A part of Murasaki was excited. Excited at the prospect of Naruto being around her. It would also be the second contact she had in her phone next to Imu.

Pulling her precious bear stuffed animal, Bebey, into her chest she breathed in deeply. Her cheeks lit up at the lingering masculine scent Naruto left behind.

He asked her to trust him, and Murasaki quietly hoped to get a text from him sometime soon.

* * *

Descending the stairs, Naruto didn't have to wait long for Hikage and Imu to approach him. Both girls were shocked when they noticed the still fresh mark on his abdomen.

"Naruto-san... did Murasaki do this to you?" Imu felt bad knowing the one she asked to help got hurt because of her sister.

"Don't worry Imu-chan. I heal fast. Murasaki-chan is waiting to talk to you in her room." Naruto shrugged off the injury, even if Hikage glared at him for his carelessness.

Imu was stunned. Naruto was nothing like the boy she believed him to be. Upon entering Hebijo, she thought nothing of him. A fluke win against Miyabi and an attitude not fit for an elite. To see him being so kind and helpful, it shattered the negative imagery she conjured up for him.

She passed by him on the stairs and whispered low enough for him to hear. "You're not that bad after all Naruto-san... thank you." Naruto snorted at her unique compliment. Feeling his Hebi-chan's annoyance rising, judging by her tapping foot, Naruto decided it was time to leave.

"Alright Hikage-chan let's get outta here. We can continue our date right?" His toothy grin made Hikage smile.

"You're going to walk around with a hole in your shirt?" She pointed to the ruined fabric.

"I already look like a delinquent, who cares right?"

"You are my delinquent Naru." Hikage hugged him tightly, making him bury his face into her shoulder length green hair.

"Damn right Hebi-chan. Forever and always." He held her hand as they put their shoes back on and shut Imu's front door. Naruto didn't want to wait around and pry into their private affairs.

They walked down the calm streets in peaceful silence.

"Naru? How'd that happen anyway?" Hikage was curious as to how someone got the drop on him.

"Hm? Oh, Murasaki-chan's Root of Calamity is slightly corrosive. It burnt through my shirt fast. If I didn't get away, she probably could have done a lot more damage." Naruto was unperturbed and it showed.

"... Why do you always offer to help others?"

Naruto began to laugh loudly, pulling her closer to his body. "I even got her cellphone number, I'm the best aren't I?"

Hikage's grip turned painful.

"You're telling your girlfriend you got another girls number? While we are technically on a date?" Naruto blinked owlishly at her.

"Yeah? Did I do something wrong? She's really lonely and I figured we could talk." He was as clueless as ever. Hikage shook her head tiredly.

"I can't stand you sometimes Naru... but it makes me love you even more." Hikage leaned up and Naruto got the message. He met her halfway for a kiss. It was nothing overtly sexual. It's a small way of showing their affection. Though Hikage wanted more.

"Hehe, love you too Hikage-chan. Now then! How's about we head to that special buffet they have in town on weekends. Since our picnic got a bit crowded." Hikage mulled it over for a couple seconds.

"The one with unlimited ramen?"

"You know it Hebi-chan!"

"You're so easy Naru..."

Naruto grinned roughly and spun around. Not giving the girl a chance to react, he secured her into his arms and carried her bridal style. Hikage's mouth pulled upwards and her smile stayed etched to her face.

Hearing Naruto's heartbeat in her ears as they walked peacefully, Hikage had no complaints. Well... maybe something was bothering her.

"... Haruka is not allowed to send you pictures Naru."

"Why not? I heard you can send people pictures of anything! Imagine sending out thousands of ramen pictures in an instant. That's literally 'instant ramen' hah!"

"She just wants to show you her boobs."

"... Oh."

Hikage narrowed her yellow eyes at her boyfriend.

"Naruto... have you seen them before? Is that why you're not acting embarrassed?"

Naruto's face felt warm at the scrutiny from Hikage. "Hikage-chan, technically I've seen a lot of girls since... the Hebijo community baths... anyways trust me! I never meant to!"

"Naruto..."

"W-What?! I didn't do it on purpose. Your boobs are still the best Hikage-chan! Please believe me..."

Hikage did believe him. That didn't mean she wouldn't tease him for it.

"I don't know Naru. I feel neglected." She squirmed in his grip, making him gulp as his hands slid under her smooth thighs.

"How can I make it up to you Hebi-chan. I'll do anything."

Hook, line and sinker. She got him.

"Let's go back to our room for a little while, we can continue our date later... I have somethings that need your attention..."

Naruto wouldn't end up getting his unlimited ramen until 4 hours later.

* * *

Katsuragi stood with her hands on her hips, overlooking the group she was now in charge of. She coughed to hold back the perverted giggling that was sure to follow. Kiriya-sensei put her in charge of the mission today.

It wasn't anything too exciting. A gang was disturbing the peace in the residential district of town and they were tasked with clearing the degenerates out. They would go in, kick some ass, tip the local police off and disappear. Classic shinobi etiquette.

"How's it feel Ikaruga-chan? I'm the one in charge. You have to do whatever I say... if you object, I'll write you up for insubordination!" Katsuragi pointed at the annoyed class president.

"You can't do that." Yagyū's statement made Katsuragi visibly deflate.

"Y-Yes I can! Ask my second in command. Naru-kun? Can I write them up for not letting me... do things?" She looked to her right hand man, Naruto was distracted by his phone. Coughing, Katsuragi tried getting his attention.

Naruto continued to tap away on the touch screen.

Before she could speak up, she heard a groan come from Asuka.

"Oh come on Naruto-kun!" The granddaughter of Hanzo was displeased.

"I am the master of chess. Sorry Asuka-chan." Naruto, shortly after being taught how to, downloaded a bunch of games onto his phone.

"Hey! How come you didn't tell me you had a phone?" Katsuragi frowned at the whiskered shinobi.

"I just got it on Saturday. Asuka-chan saw me playing a couple games at lunch and she downloaded them too. I've been kicking her butt ever since." Once he finished speaking, Asuka hung her head knowing that he was right.

"I want your number right now! I'll kick your ass in any games." Katsuragi shouted at the boy. Ikaruga palmed her face and decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Yagyū-san and Hibari-san, team up and take the west." The pink and silver haired first years accepted that and walked off, albeit Hibari appeared nervous.

Katsuragi whipped her head to Ikaruga when she realized what she was doing.

"I'm the one in charge today. This is a form of insubordination. Do you know the punishment?" Katsuragi raised her hands to grope the girl and couldn't evade the sheathed katana bonking her on the head. Her teeth chattered at the strike.

"Focus. It may be relatively easy affair, but you were taking far too long to assign roles. You're with me Katsuragi." The blonde third year opened her mouth to argue. "No you cannot go with Naruto-san, I don't trust you will compete the mission." Ikaruga knew how much trouble they could stir up.

Katsuragi looked depressingly at her second in command, Naruto shot her a apologetic smile. Ikaruga wasn't wrong. If he went with Katsuragi, they would spend the whole time joking and playing around.

"Asuka-san, you'll be with him. Take the southern section. Please refrain from using the phone while patrolling for deviants." As she addressed the girl, Asuka jumped in place and shoved the phone into her small bag.

Katsuragi frowned before moving close to Naruto. Whispering quietly into his ear, the remaining girls watched him stare into space. Katsuragi patted him on the cheek with a smirk before walking over to Ikaruga with a spring in her step. Which did wonderful things to her large bust. Shaking off the oddness the two blondes shared, Ikaruga pulled Katsuragi along to their own section of patrol.

Asuka poked Naruto in the arm, rousing him from the frozen state.

"Naruto-kun? What did Katsu-nee whisper?" The boy looked scared, she assumed it couldn't have been good.

"I don't want her boots anywhere near that part of me... I should have fought against Ikaruga's pairing us up. I should have fought..."

Asuka realized poking him wouldn't help. Pinching his exposed arm, she finally got a reaction.

"Ow! Asuka-chan, why did you do that?" He grumbled while rubbing the sore flesh.

"Come on Naruto-kun, let's go finish our part of the mission." Asuka was happy though. Pairing up with him and playing games was a nice change of pace for the second year.

"Fine fine. Protect me from Katsuragi-chan though."

Asuka looked back at the pale face of Naruto and giggled. "Trust me, I won't let Katsu-nee hurt you." She was sure it wasn't a real threat anyway.

They began walking through the quiet streets of the residential district, keeping their eyes peeled for anyone harassing the public. Fortunately, they were patrolling the area where gang activity was at the lowest. Naruto decided to make some small talk.

"I met your grandfather last week."

Asuka's face morphed into pure horror.

So much for small talk.

"W-What?! What did he say to you? What did he do? Please don't tell me that he took you anywhere?" When she turned to Naruto, her body bumped into a passing girl. Before Asuka can even get to apologize, the girl was gone. Shaking her head, she focused on the amused Naruto.

"Calm down Asuka-chan. He talked to me about being in Hanzo Academy, that's all. He also wanted me to ask you where I can meet him again. Apparently he has to 'teach me' something else." Naruto used air quotes when explaining it to Asuka.

Asuka pressed a hand against her rapidly beating heart and sighed in relief. She was glad her grandfather didn't do anything embarrassing or inappropriate. Smiling shakily, she responded to Naruto. "He owns a sushi restaurant actually! I can take you there sometime, the Futomaki rolls he makes are to die for!" Asuka began to drool at the thought of her favorite food.

Naruto chuckled before his face hardened. Asuka's bag... it was opened. How?

"Asuka-chan, your bag." He pointed it out to her, and she snapped out of her food daydream. Eyes widening, she panicked.

"Oh no! Did I drop my wallet? My phone? When did this happen?!" Her eyes lit up. "That girl! I bumped into a girl a minute ago." She turned rapidly and sought to find the thief.

Naruto helped her search before his eyes caught a peculiar individual approaching them.

'Kurama, tell me I'm wrong. That can't be who I think it is...'

'**It is. Finally, some entertainment!' **The fox was excited to see how this situation blew up.

A black and red Hebijo uniform and tanned skin already made him twitch. The knowing smirk and twinkling green eyes only added to that.

"Oi, I think this belongs to you Jugs."

Homura strolled up to the duo and struggled to hold back her laughter. Naruto's face was hilarious to her.

"J-jugs? Wait! That's my wallet! Ah! You found it, thank you so much." Asuka smiled brightly at the tanned girl.

"Don't mention it. People are rude nowadays right?." Homura was talking to Asuka but her eyes were focused on Naruto's. She was daring him to act out.

"I owe you for this! Do you want some money?" Asuka felt that was the appropriate way to pay the girl back.

Homura shook her head, her long hair swaying with the movement. "That's not necessary." A wild smirk crossed her features, the undertones lost on Asuka but it was abundantly clear to Naruto.

"_Trust_ me Jugs, it was my civil duty to stop any petty thieves. I did it out of the goodness of my heart."

'I don't trust her one bit...' Naruto was highly skeptical.

"My name isn't Jugs! It's Asuka! Naruto-kun... what does she mean by that anyway?"

Naruto ignored the cute curious expression that crossed Asuka's face. Instead, he followed Homura's every movement. What was she up to?

"Hey fox boy, did you lose anything? I'd be glad to help you out too."

Naruto was a second away from insulting her. He had to hold back, for the sake of his mission.

"With those silly whiskers I'm sure you'd be an easy target."

Homura was having the time of her life.

Who knew that an assignment from Dōgen could be so much fun?

* * *

**A/N - **Hey hey people. It's been a minute. I won't bore people with details, but the third year of college is no joke. Anyways, sorry for the long wait between chapters. I can't promise weekly updates for the time being ):

This chapter is a lot more setup for the future. Naruto interacting more with Hanzo will happen next chapter and Homura finally met Asuka. Look at that, it only took like 140k words.

Just to confirm, yes Murasaki's nose is special like that and yes Homura calls Asuka "Jugs". The reason is obvious.

I did not get a chance to respond to any reviews over the past couple weeks and I'm sorry for that. Of course I read them all, but life won't allow me time off even on weekends.

PM me or review if you got questions or whatever. I'll try to slack less. I don't even have anytime to play borderlands 3 ): Life man. Life blows.


	16. A Puppet No Longer

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

"Well I should be leaving now, I got to get back to school and all that. It was nice meeting you jugs, fox boy." Homura told the duo of Hanzo students before her. Naruto's eyes twitched as he stared her down.

"We never got your name! I still feel like I should give you money or something..." Asuka shyly told the tanned Hebijo shinobi. Homura looked thoughtful for a second and Naruto was moving his head in a negative way, probably telling her to not give out a name.

"Oh... I'm Homura! And don't worry about it, you'll owe me one." Homura grinned savagely at the shinobi over Asuka's shoulder. Naruto looked like he swallowed a lemon and Homura didn't get it. Yes, she gave her name out to mess with him, but it wasn't like Asuka would do anything with that information. Knowing the girl for all but five minutes told Homura she was a bit naive.

"Thanks again Homura-chan! I hope to see you around." Asuka was more like a bright ball of positive energy than a shinobi in training and that made Homura's smile strain. Turning her back to her teammate and the girl she's deceiving, Homura threw a wave back at them.

"You definitely will..." Homura's mysterious response went right past Asuka, she was clueless. Naruto caught it and narrowed his eyes at her retreating form.

Watching the girl leave, Asuka sighed before looking down at her wallet and counting her money. While making sure everything was there she began to speak to Naruto again.

"Homura-chan seems very nice, don't you agree Naruto-kun?" Asuka couldn't see Naruto's suspicious stare on the back of Homura.

"Yeah she seems great. Hey Asuka-chan, I think I saw some delinquents go down that alleyway over there while you were talking!" Naruto pointed at a random alley and Asuka looked stunned.

"W-What?! Oh no, don't tell Ikaruga-chan that I let them get by us! Come on Naruto-kun!" Asuka forgot that Katsuragi was technically leader for this mission, not that Naruto blamed her, and ran towards the direction of Naruto's pointed finger.

Naruto scanned the street they were on for any passerby and luckily there was no one around for the time being. He figured Homura had to plan this out somehow. His hands raised in a seal that was becoming second nature again and a small plume of smoke created a single clone.

"Go." His command was simple, and the clone wasted no time in shooting off to the direction of Homura. The original sighed before running after Asuka and the random direction he made up on the fly.

Mentally he promised himself that he'd be kicking Homura's ass in the near future.

* * *

Homura whistled happily as she strolled the somewhat crowded streets of the shopping district. Hands behind her head, she walked with a spring in her step. The reason behind her happiness was in part due to the mission Dōgen assigned her and what he referred to as "her squad". She didn't know why that made her feel good, maybe because it stopped Naruto from being leader. Walking past an alleyway, her eyes widened in alarm when a sharp tug pulled her in.

Landing on her backside, she scowled and prepared to kick somebodies face in for this. Looking up, she met the cross armed stance of the one person she enjoyed messing with.

"What's your game here Homura?" Naruto stared down at the fellow elite shinobi.

"Game? I should ask you that question. Throwing me down onto some dirty alleyway floor, I can feel rocks cutting into my ass you bastard." She shot to her feet and straightened out her tiny skirt.

"It's not my fault you chose to wear something that short." Naruto's comment made a vein pulse in Homura's forehead before she closed her eyes and took deep breaths. She was a leader now... kind of... but she had to act like it.

"Hmph. You better be careful about what you say to me. I'm leader for our squad currently." She pointed a thumb at her chest with a smug grin.

"Leader...? For what?" Naruto didn't expect that one. If a leader had to be assigned... well Hikage didn't care much for that but he was surprised Haruka wasn't chosen. They were Homura's seniors after all.

"Oi, I don't like that tone. I'll be a damn good leader of any squad. Anyway, Dōgen-sama wants us to focus more on the 'outside aspects' of Hanzo Academy. We are going to be scouting the general area and trying to find leads on a certain object." Homura enjoyed the confused face on Naruto's face.

"Object? Also, did Dōgen tell you to interfere with my own mission?" He was referring to her interaction with Asuka.

"Yep, an object. He didn't tell me to do that necessarily... I just figured that must be one of the shinobi students following you around. Unless, you were on a date? Not only are you two timing Hikage with Haruka but a three timer?! Naruto Uzumaki you monster." Homura wasn't ready for the chakra enhanced forehead flick. She glared at the boy in front of her.

"First off, it's not a date. Second, stop being a smart ass and lastly, what's the object? Don't even try holding out information Homura-chan, I have ways of finding things out..." Naruto tried to sound sly at the end but judging by Homura's deadpan, she knew what he really meant.

He'd just ask Hikage or Haruka and they'd tell him immediately.

"Dōgen-sama doesn't want to reveal much to you on the off chance that you were captured and interrogated. You're lucky you're in my squad Naruto. It's called a Super-Secret Ninja Art Scroll."

"..."

"..."

Kurama started chuckling within the seal. That name was utterly ridiculous.

"That sounds stupid Homura-chan." Naruto told her dully.

"I didn't make the name up, bastard. Hebijo has one too apparently. Although we've never seen it... That's the goal for our squad. Dōgen-sama also expects more reports on the shinobi in Hanzo. He said you've been somewhat reluctant." Homura noticed the look on his face turn sour at the mention of reports.

"You know he has to be planning something right?" Naruto told her seriously and Homura rose an eyebrow before shrugging.

"This is our mission. Even if I didn't want to notice, I've seen how you are with people. You get attached to them and they do the same to you. Don't forget that you're going to have reveal yourself to those silly good shinobi at some point." Homura eyed him seriously.

"Is that what being an evil shinobi is all about? Following orders from a man who can't even be bothered to show himself?" Naruto's words got a curious head tilt from Homura.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Who knows..." Naruto cryptically replied. Homura filed that information away for later.

"Whatever. I'm going to meet up with Yomi, you should head back to jugs and continue your side of the mission." Homura paused and looked Naruto from head to toe. The clone watched her with growing hesitation.

Her fist struck out and nailed the clone right in the face. A small cloud of smoke obstructed her view for a second.

"Dumbass. I knew something was off." He's been using those clones on her for so long now that she's becoming used to the slight signs of it not being the original. That finger flick to the forehead was not nearly as painful as the original Naruto was capable of. Kicking a rock in the alleyway she exited with a scowl.

"Bastard and his finger flicks... I'll show him a finger flick..." Homura would mutter angrily to herself for the remainder of her trip back to her teammate.

* * *

Blue eyes glazed over as the memories of a dispelled clones came back to him. His eye twitched when he noticed how it was popped.

'**I have to give the tanned brat some credit, she has a mean right hook.**'

'My guard wasn't up dammit. I shouldn't have to be on guard around my own teammates constantly ya know?'

'**That's not the best excuse I've heard from you Naruto.'**

Naruto cursed under his breath in response and Asuka turned to him curiously.

"Naruto-kun? Are you alright?" The kind Hanzo second year called out to him. Naruto shot her a small smile.

"I'm alright Asuka-chan, I'm just a bit tired after today."

"Oh! I understand. Class seemed to drag on a bit today for me too."

"Especially when Kiriya-sensei kept saying-" Naruto stopped speaking when he noticed a shadow descending above him. He braced himself for a fight and turned his head upwards.

Blue and white striped panties obscured his vision. It bothered Naruto when he realized he knew exactly who these belonged to. Then he tumbled to the floor.

"A shinobi should be ready for any attacks! That's some more shinobi 101 stuff Naru-kun." A upbeat voice chastised him lightly. Katsuragi landed on top of him with a cheesy smile.

"Katsu-nee! You can't lay on him like that! Your... um... your..." Asuka began to stutter when she noticed Katsuragi's bust pressed into Naruto's face comically.

Ikaruga landed besides Asuka and pinched the bridge of her nose. Katsuragi rushed ahead to "surprise the hunk" in her own words.

"I'm sure he's fine! Wait... where's your phone? How dare you get other girls numbers before mine?!" Katsuragi, having absolutely no shame, began to search his body for a phone.

'**She's practically molesting you.'**

'I'm losing consciousness in her breasts...'

'**Let me help you find consciousness. What would Hikage do if she saw this?'**

One threat later and Naruto struggled his way out of heaven. Which just happened to be in time for Katsuragi to fish a phone out his pants pocket.

"For a second, I thought you had two phones! That'd be ridiculous though right? Hehehehe!" Katsuragi chuckled to herself as Asuka gasped at that comment. Ikaruga palmed her face loudly and Naruto stared at the cloudless skies.

With a small push on his chest, Katsuragi got to her feet triumphantly. Holding his phone out, she realized it wasn't password protected. Another rookie mistake. There was only one notification that recently popped up that caught her attention. She wouldn't actively search his phone after all.

"Murasaki? Who's Murasaki...?" She whispered to herself but everyone else managed to hear it.

"I don't see how that is any of your business-" Ikaruga tried being the voice of reason before Asuka cut her off.

"Naruto-kun! Do you have a girlfriend?!"

"Eh?! Girlfriend..." Katsuragi stared wide eyed at the boy slowly getting off the ground after her 'assault'.

"Murasaki is the sister of one of my friends... she has a lot of issues socially and I'm trying to help her." After Naruto's explanation, it left Katsuragi and Asuka feeling awful. He was doing it to help a girl and they were about to tease or question him.

"I tried telling you both. Personal business is not to be shared. I do have to commend you for helping out someone in need, you are a good person Naruto-san." Ikaruga's pleasant smile and complimentary words should have made him feel good about himself.

'**Heh. If only they knew...' **Kurama decided to poke at his sensitive mission.

"Naru-kun? Can I add my number to your contacts? I'm sorry for... you know... sorry." Katsuragi had a small amount of friends. She could count them on both hands. Plus, she genuinely enjoyed being around Naruto. It was awkward for her to apologize about anything, but she felt she had to in this situation.

"I'm sorry too Naruto-kun. It's not our business about your relationships." Asuka walked closer and bowed her head to him in apology. Naruto laughed lightly before sticking his hand out and ruffling Asuka's hair. The brunette pouted before a grin lit up on her face.

"I'm not upset girls, I was just telling you the truth. You can add your number to my contacts Katsuragi-chan." Naruto's warm smile calmed the apologizing girls, and Ikaruga truly did believe he was a good person.

'His presence, it's almost serene. What is this boy?' Ikaruga was fully convinced he was a living breathing puzzle. So much about him was unknown, yet he didn't make an effort to hide anything.

"Naruuutoooooooo-kun!" The childlike voice of their resident first year screamed out as she ran down the street towards the small group. Yagyū was right on her heels.

The pink haired girl stepped in front of him and looked up with puppy dog eyes. "Naruto-kun, I'll give you my number too! I want to play games like Asuka-chan!" Hibari was already reaching for the phone that was secured in Katsuragi's grip.

"I suppose you can have mine as well. I will be messaging you about your assignments. You are a slacker." Yagyū gave a harsh assessment and held a smile back at his defeated facial expression. Even if she was two years below him, her schoolwork was almost the same level as his.

"I shall do the same. I am the class representative, and it is my duty to ensure students are diligent in their studies. This is strictly for educational purposes, do not expect to play any of these games with me." Ikaruga told him firmly and Katsuragi started snickering.

"Ikaruga-chan doesn't want to lose in any games." Her fellow third year appeared to be scandalized at such a notion.

"That is false. I wouldn't lose in any of these pointless games anyway."

"Prove it. Loser. Looooser." Katsuragi began teasing her with a wicked grin. After a couple more seconds of repeated loser chants, which Hibari and Asuka joined in on, Ikaruga broke.

"I will! Give me the phone! Naruto-san, we will be playing 'games'. J-Just to prove I would not lose!" Ikaruga made a grab for the cellphone and Katsuragi did her best to dodge. Soon, Hibari jumped into the fray and that left Yagyū to follow the girl she admired. Asuka rolled her eyes before chasing after Katsuragi for the fun of it.

Naruto stood back and let his eyes follow the group of shinobi girls. A small sharp pain nestled in his chest and he realized how guilty he felt. His phone was filling up with contacts, he was gaining friends, something that he's always wanted.

'**This is the result of growing attached to your targets. Other missions weren't personal. Wearing your heart on your sleeve is not always beneficial Naruto.' **The Kyuubi imparted more facts onto him and Naruto had no retort. Kurama was right. As usual.

"Naru-kun! Let's go! We can leave them behind, especially the loser class rep!" Katsuragi, still holding onto his phone, reached for his arm and began dragging him away.

"Katsuragi-san! We still have to report our mission to Kiriya-sensei!" Ikaruga shouted at the blonde duo.

"Why was she made leader again?" Yagyū asked as she dryly watched Katsuragi stick her tongue out at her fellow Hanzo students.

"Katsu-nee is really strong, but she's not always the best at focusing." Asuka rubbed her neck in a Naruto-like fashion.

"Come on Yagyū-chan, we can't let them get away from us!" Hibari bounced in place and reached for Yagyū's hand. The silver haired girl blushed and allowed herself to be pulled along.

Ikaruga and Asuka were left behind, watching the entire group run through the streets.

"I'm not holding hands."

"Haha... I wasn't going to ask Ikaruga-chan."

Asuka was a millisecond away from asking.

* * *

Just after sundown, Naruto successfully made it back to Hebijo. He yawned while walking towards the shinobi room his teammates were given. The room door slid open and he had a split second to dodge a shuriken aimed at his head. Naruto expected this from multiple girls. Homura, she never needed a reason. Hikage, she always had a reason. Mirai? This was new.

"Mirai-chan? Why are you trying to kill me already?" The small first year had her eyes widen in shock when she noticed who really entered.

"Naruto! I'm sorry, I was... Haruka-sama... she..." Naruto felt a headache approaching fast.

"Haruka-sama?" What was that evil girl up to now?

"Did you call me Naruto-kun?" A pair of breasts were pushed into his back and arms reached to hug him.

"Haruka, what did you do to her? She tried to kill me a few seconds ago." Naruto asked Haruka flatly.

"Huh? Oh. I trained with Mirai-chan for a little while. Then I showed her my laboratory and my puppets... and how I make my puppets. It's very interesting is it not, Mirai-chan?" Haruka smiled at the girl from Naruto's shoulder.

"Yes Haruka-sama! V-Very interesting! I'm still interested now!" Mirai shouted in response. Haruka's chuckle went directly into Naruto's ear and he felt his body shiver.

"What a cute girl. Naruto-kun? How was your day?" Haruka's lips were so close to his ear that he almost squirmed in her grip.

"It was okay I guess. Where's the others? I have to talk to you all." Naruto turned his head to look into expressive green eyes.

"They are around. We got back from patrol a few hours ago. Mirai-chan, be a dear and inform the girls that Naruto-kun is back." Mirai perked up at the order and made a dash for the shinobi room exit. Naruto sighed before moving into the room, Haruka didn't make any attempt to remove herself from the hug.

Reaching the couch, Haruka pulled him down onto it and placed his head in her lap. This position was something Hikage loved to do with him, he assumed Haruka wanted to start this habit as well.

"Spill it. What'd you do?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the girl.

"What're you going to do if I don't tell you? _Punish_ me?" Haruka licked her lips and her eyes glinted suggestively.

"Haruka-chan..." Naruto poked her stomach and sides a few times. Haruka widened her eyes due to a certain reason.

"W-Wait I'll talk!" She didn't mean for that to come out so quickly and Naruto was suspicious.

"Are you ticklish?" Naruto's grin was devilish now.

"No! Naruto-kun please... don't." Haruka couldn't even get up as Naruto's grip on her sides was relentless.

"You seemed happy for a punishment Haruka-chan. Then you can tell me why the hell Mirai-chan is so scared."

"... Mercy?"

"Would you give me mercy?"

"Naruto-kun, I want to give you a lot of things. Mercy is not one of them."

Naruto started tickling her fiercely and Haruka's giggled uncontrollably.

Somewhere along the way in his tickling assault, Haruka's already short shirt raised a little higher. Naruto tried not focusing on the pink bra staring back at him.

"I told you Hikage. He's a three timer. Dare I even say a four timer?! Who knows, maybe in the future he'll be a five timer." Homura's loud voice carried throughout the shinobi room. Naruto removed his hands from Haruka's sides and short to his feet.

Two clones appeared at his side and blitzed towards the wide eyed Homura. When she brought her arms up to reach for a sheathed sword, a clone was already at her side. Reacting quickly, she kicked a leg out at the second clone, resulting in cloud of smoke. Her vision was blocked and much to her confusion, her arm was let go.

It was then that she felt pressure around her neck. Naruto put her in a headlock and pushed his closed fist into her head, ruffling her hair painfully.

"Ow Ow Ow! Stop it dickless!"

"Saying shit like that doesn't make me want to stop ya know!"

Hikage scratched her head at her boyfriend's antics and strolled up to him. Tapping him on the shoulder, he stopped messing with Homura's long hair and turned to her.

"I didn't get a good morning kiss today." Hikage's dead expression carried traces of annoyance.

"He was too busy hanging out with jugs to give you a kiss-OW!" Homura yelped when Naruto applied more pressure to the headlock.

"Stop calling her jugs. You all have huge boobs, it's stupid." Naruto ridiculed the nickname choice.

"That's a lewd comment Naruto-san..." Yomi called to him with a dusting of pink on her cheeks.

"All of us have huge boobs... all of us..." Mirai dropped her head and hunched over slightly.

"He's not wrong though. Besides Mirai-chan of course. She has time to grow." Haruka stretched her body out along the couch and watched the proceeding events with a grin.

Hikage pecked him in the lips instead of responding to the assessment of their bodies. Naruto smiled at her as Homura continued to struggle.

"Naruto! Let me go!"

"This is what you get for dispelling my _Kage Bunshin_ earlier today."

"I had rocks up my ass from that damn alleyway. He deserved it!"

"You were interfering with my mission."

"S-Sorry! Let me go!"

Naruto released her from the strong hold and Homura jumped back and started to fix her long hair.

"Were the rocks really up your ass?" Hikage asked the scowling second year.

"That must have been very painful. I'd never want anything like that up mine..." Haruka commented and Naruto's sixth sense started to go off. He knew there was more to her sentence. "Unless it was Naruto-kun's-" She moved her head to the right as a small silver knife impaled the couch.

"Please none of this provocative talk around Mirai-san!" Yomi was doing her best to cover Mirai's ears and eyes.

"Why are you covering her eyes Yomi-chan?" Naruto questioned the odd action.

"My own innocence has been ruined by this group. It all started with seeing Hikage-san and Haruka-san naked. I cannot allow Mirai-san's developing mind to be tainted." Yomi's eyes were determined. Naruto shook his head at her explanation.

"Anyway, tell me about your new mission girls. Homura says it involves Hanzo Academy." Naruto leaned against a nearby wall and stared at the group of shinobi.

"I told you already. We are just scouting the area out and looking for entries or potential routes to escape." Homura, after getting her hair under control, answered him.

"And the scroll." Hikage chimed in.

"... Yes. Please don't say that out loud Hikage. I don't know if Suzune-sensei would want Naruto to know."

The entire squad looked at Homura with raised eyebrows or incredulous stares.

"What?"

"Homura-san, you know Naruto-san would have found out eventually." Yomi pointed out the obvious.

"I figured that, so I already told him about it. Just don't let this leak out. That's an order to all of you as leader!" Homura felt her pride swell at being leader for this squad. She heard a scoff come from Naruto.

"I can kick your ass any day of the week. What kinda leader are you?" Naruto turned his head upwards and Homura stomped up to him.

"Wanna take this outside fox boy? Or are you going to need Kurama to back you up?" Homura gripped his Hanzo school shirt in a white knuckled grip. Naruto lowered his face to her level and grit his teeth.

"When I'm done with you, the rocks will be the least of your worries."

After that threat, she shoved him backwards and their brawl began.

Hikage sighed deeply. Her boyfriend connected with everyone in different ways. His way with Homura was through their fists. Sometimes they didn't even remember why they were fighting in the first place.

"Yomi-chan, Mirai-chan, please make sure they don't go too far." Haruka instructed the two younger girls.

"I'm already ahead of you Haruka-san. Come on Mirai-san!" A bright light covered Yomi and her large sword appeared in her hands. She promptly ran out of the room.

"Coming Yomi-san!" Mirai was in pursuit of the bustier girl.

Hikage moved over to the couch and threw her head back. Haruka cleared her throat a few times. Hikage didn't respond. Haruka did it some more.

"... You always do this to get my attention. Is something stuck in your throat?"

"You make it so hard to be friendly Hikage-chan."

"You definitely want something. Come out and say it doll girl." Hikage's yellow slitted eyes locked onto Haruka.

"Fine fine. Can I bring Naruto-kun somewhere? Thursday night?" Haruka bit her lip in worry. Hikage could easily deny her.

"You're asking to take him out on a school night?" Haruka stared dryly at her friend.

"You're really focusing on it being a school night? Since when did you care about that? You both still refuse to do assignments." Hikage shrugged at her 'rival'.

"Where are you taking him?" Haruka's eyes lit up at that question.

"You're allowing this?" She felt her heart beat a bit faster.

"Haruka, let me put it this way, I prefer you over 'jugs'." Hikage's body tensed when Haruka grabbed her into a hug.

"Hikage... you're the best." Hikage's eye's softened at the genuine emotion in the girls voice.

"Yeah sure. You're annoying doll girl."

"Love you too Hebi-chan."

Their hug broke and Haruka continued to smile at the green haired girl. Hikage huffed and turned her face away.

"I'm taking him to my house... I... want him to meet someone..." Haruka struggled to explain her plan and luckily Hikage was used to dealing with people now. That's how she was able to tell this was personal to Haruka.

"You don't have to give me the details. It's fine." Haruka momentarily looked down at her lap and played with the hem of her skirt.

"Thank you." The blonde whispered lowly. Hikage rolled her eyes at the girl and began to flip the knife that she threw at Haruka in her hands.

"By the way, stop sexting my boyfriend." Hikage pointed the gleaming blade at the girl.

"Whatever do you mean Hikage-chan? Do you go through his phone? That is an invasion of privacy." Haruka smirked at her and Hikage became irritated.

"You don't need to ask him what bra or panties would be best for the day. He doesn't even know that he saves them to his photo gallery by accident."

"Hikage-chan, how else would I get an opinion? Naruto-kun is the best at judging my undergarments."

"Pervert."

"That's rich coming from you." Haruka's comment put Hikage slightly on edge.

"...What do you mean?"

"Ah! Ah! Naru! Lick me right there!" Haruka started to imitate the various moans she has to hear due to her bedrooms location. Hikage's face began to heat up.

"Haruka... stop."

"Oh Naru... harder! Harder!" Haruka's smirk was dangerous as she moaned louder.

"..." Hikage reached into her shirt and pulled her small scroll out of her cleavage. A bright light and a second later, she was fully transformed.

"I'm going to cum Naru! Ah! Ah! Ah! You have such different sounding moans by the way Hebi-chan. Very unique. I would also try to imitate the squeaking of the bed but that'd be in bad taste." Haruka's mocking had gone on long enough.

Hikage's special blade was jabbed forward and hit nothing but the soft couch cushion.

"Hey! That is our shared couch don't ruin it even more." Haruka managed to reach the entrance to the room.

"You have ten seconds to transform before I put this knife between your eyes."

"Trying to kill me after I complimented your cute moaning. Shame on you."

Ten seconds were up in Hikage's opinion.

Her knife went right at the smiling Haruka.

* * *

"I have to ask again... are you really alright with this?" Naruto looked into a mirror at his reflection. He buttoned up a crimson red long sleeved shirt at the same time. Patting his chest, he felt the necklace he always wore close to his heart.

"I told you. It's personal for her. I'm not crazy about this, but Haruka is..." Hikage lounged on their bed and watched him get dressed. Naruto's reflection smirked widely at her words.

"You both really are friends, that's adorable."

"Keep mocking me and a certain graduate will pay you a visit." Hikage threatened her love.

"So cold Hebi-chan." Naruto brushed his hand over the sleek black dress pants he was wearing.

"You look handsome..." Hikage appreciated the view before her. Even after being with him for years, she still loved watching him.

"Of course! I'm the most attractive shinobi in the world." Naruto boasted jokingly.

"I don't disagree with that." Hikage leaned back against the headboard of the bed. Naruto walked over to her and swiftly kissed her on the forehead.

"You're my best supporter ya know? Where would I be without you?" Naruto winked at her and Hikage smiled.

"Probably dead. Who knows?" Her eyes glinted as she dragged him onto the bed.

"These are my nice clothes! You're going to get them wrinkled!"

"Don't care." Hikage engaged him in a steamy lip lock as she tightened her grip on his spiky hair. It lasted long enough for both of them to be out of breath.

"Some ground rules." She began to say.

"Here we go..."

"Shut up. No sex." Hikage jabbed at his chest.

"Where did you get the impression that I'd try to do that with her tonight?"

"It's Haruka."

"That's... huh..."

"Call me to let me know how things are going. You never know what could happen Naruto." Hikage watched him nod slowly.

"Yeah..."

"And lastly... have a good time Naru. Haruka is weird and manipulative and rude and-" Naruto put a hand over her mouth.

"I get it Hebi-chan."

"But... she really does like you. Dumb doll..." The last part was muttered quietly.

Naruto kissed her one more time before rolling off the bed and straightening his clothes.

"I love you Hikage-chan."

"Love you too."

Naruto gave her one more large grin before exiting their shared room. Hikage dropped down onto the bed and sighed.

"Kaa-san... am I doing the right thing?" Hikage stared at the plain ceiling with equally as bored eyes. She decided she might as well find Homura or the others to train with for the night.

"Stupid Haruka... falling in love with what's mine. Stupid Naruto... being himself."

She hoped Homura could give her a good fight tonight. She certainly needed it.

* * *

Haruka waited outside of the castle keep ruins that hid the school from prying eyes. She did her best not to fiddle with the hem of her shirt, but nervousness was getting the best of her.

Dressed in very tight blue jeans and a expensive pink blouse, Haruka felt stares on her from various passerby. Her body was pronounced nicely by the clothing and despite her always teasing nature, there's only one set of eyes she'd want on her.

"Yo! Hope I didn't make you wait too long, traffic was crazy in Hebijo." The voice she loved most came from behind and Haruka turned with sparkling eyes.

"No, I've only been here for a few minutes. You look very nice Naruto-kun." She admired his clothing and body shamelessly. Naruto smiled and returned the favor, without the suggestive intent that was present in Haruka's gaze.

"You look amazing as always Haruka-chan." His compliment was enough to make her body warm up.

"I wish we could stand here all day looking at each other but unfortunately I made plans Naruto-kun." Haruka held a hand out to him and to his credit, Naruto only hesitated for a second.

"Where are we going anyway?"

"Hmm... that's a surprise." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Lead the way then Haruka-chan."

"That's the plan Naruto-kun. We've been over this countless times, direction isn't your forte." Haruka giggled at his annoyed look.

Hand in hand they made their way to a certain place that meant more to Haruka than anything.

"This is...?"

"Yes, this is the park where we met Naruto-kun." She watched him stare at the park with a certain fondness. Naruto remembered it well because of Haruka, but memories of Hinata stirred up emotions inside of him.

"Heh. You made us get dressed up to go on the swings Haruka-chan?" He smirked down at the shorter girl. She pinched his arm lightly.

"Silly. No. We are going somewhere nearby actually... I think you'll remember." They both spared the park another glance before she pulled him along.

Naruto walked the streets with a strange expression. He remembered being dragged along the same street, but by a different hand. A much rougher hand. Yet, equally as loving. Hinata's hand.

"Here it is Naruto-kun. My home." He blinked at their arrival. Her house? He recalled all the things she's told him about her family, and he wasn't sure what was happening here.

"Haruka-" A finger was placed against his lips.

"... I wanted to be better Naruto-kun." She turned her face away and proceeded to the entrance of her home. Naruto expected her to walk in. She didn't. She rang the doorbell.

"Haruka-chan? You told me you'd be a bit late! Young lady, it's been almost an hour!" A beautiful black haired woman frowned at Haruka. Naruto was stunned.

"Mother... please not in front of Naruto-kun..." Haruka's cheeks were lit up at being scolded in his presence.

"Naruto...? Oh my, this is the boy?" The woman, Haruka's mother, opened the door a bit wider and Naruto was able to get a better look at her. Her body... well Haruka got it from somewhere.

'**Perving on mother's now? Amazing.'**

Naruto's hand twitched in Haruka's grip.

"Yes. Naruto-kun, introduce yourself please." Haruka's words snapped him out of preparing an argument with Kurama about his perverted thought.

"Yo! Nice to meet you...?" Naruto realized he never got her name. Hell, he was pretty sure Hinata never got her name all those years ago either. Haruka's mother was something else.

"You can call me Emiko sweetie. It's nice to meet Haruka-chan's boyfriend." After her mother's claim, Haruka jumped in to correct that.

"W-We aren't dating! We are just good friends?" Her mother's knowing smile told her all she needed to know.

"Friends don't hold hands like that, and I see the way you look at him dear. Don't lie to yourself." Emiko giggled at Haruka's blush.

"Haha..." 'I'm so confused right now.' Naruto vividly remembers an entirely different story involving Haruka's mother.

"Where are my manners? Please, come in." She opened the door for the two Hebijo students. Haruka nudged him with her arm and Naruto entered alongside her.

Respectfully taking their shoes off, Naruto let his eyes roam over the interior of the home and...

Haruka was loaded. This home was already impressive on the outside, but the decor and design screamed upper class. It was odd that Haruka never seemed to act like she was wealthy. It may be a good thing though, Yomi has an interesting issue with the richer society.

"Haruka-chan? You can show him around the house while I finish up dinner. No funny business in your room though!" Emiko waggled a finger at the duo and Haruka looked away.

"Mother please..." Naruto was shocked at how the girl was acting. Haruka was never this timid. She got embarrassed around him sometimes, but for the most part she was shameless.

"I'm only kidding you two. I'll call you both when it's finished." Emiko smiled and walked into what Naruto assumed was the kitchen.

Haruka didn't wait a second longer in pulling Naruto up a large set of stairs. The boy was too confused to even call out to her.

Pulling him down a long hallway, Haruka stopped in front of a particular door. Twisting the knob, she swung it open and Naruto's eyes were assaulted by a color.

Pink. A lot of pink.

"Welcome to my childhood room Naruto-kun." Haruka's smile was strained. Naruto picked up on that quickly. Shaking his head, he took the initiative. Kicking her door closed lightly, Naruto moved to the very large bed. Haruka watched his every movement even as she was dragged along.

Sitting down on the bed, Naruto patted the mattress to signal her to sit with him. Haruka sat very closely to the boy she loved.

"Haruka-chan? Please explain what's going on." Naruto locked eyes with her.

"I told you didn't I? I wanted to be better. Better for myself, better for others. Better for you." She reached out to grab his hand, but Naruto retracted it slightly. Haruka tried hiding the hurt look that appeared on her face.

"But your mother? All the things you've told me about her. What happened?" Naruto needed to make sense out of everything.

"She's... no longer under the effects of any puppetry techniques..." Haruka started playing with the bottom of her shirt, which Naruto figured out is a habit she had when nervous. "But... I did change some things." Her eyes left his own and started to dart all around the room. Naruto frowned and felt bad for moving his hand away previously.

'My relationships are crazy...'

'**Hikage gave you permission to go with her tonight. No intercourse though.'**

'Cause that's totally my plan. Thanks for reminding me.'

The connection between the bijuu and human was cut there.

Naruto slid back on the bed and reached out to the nervous girl. Pulling her close to him, Haruka froze. Naruto placed her on his lap and circled his arms around her.

"And I told you didn't I? I won't judge you. I just need to make sense of all this." At that repeated sentence, Haruka turned to him with wide eyes. Her lips quivered and she let out a shaky breath.

"I... I'll tell you everything." She let her body go slack in his arms. "I've kept her as my puppet... my doll for years. I needed to. It was the same that she did to me. After we talked Naruto-kun, I realized that I do want to change. It's not easy and... I still struggle with a lot, but my mother is no longer under my control. I cannot control her actions anymore... but before I ended the technique Suzune-sensei taught me, I made some adjustments. She's not a shinobi. She knows nothing about that side of the world. My adjustments can't be undone by her..." Haruka looked up into his blue eyes and Naruto said nothing, he listened intently.

"She no longer is controlling of me... and she believes my father has been dead for some time. He may as well be... he's never getting out of prison..." Naruto tightened his arms more around her when he noticed her start to shake. She squeezed his arms softly, acknowledging his support. "Now she believes she raised me for years without him and that I'm off at an all girls academy studying. That's not entirely a lie but you know..." Haruka shook her head as she was getting off track.

"I released the puppetry and made the adjustments, yet I still hated her. I would not speak to her whenever coming home. I would ignore her calling out to me. I'd ignore everything to do with her. Then one night, after coming home on a weekend, I heard crying. From her room. I peeked in and she was on the floor sobbing... whispering to herself about where she went wrong. My heart... it hurt Naruto-kun, it hurt a lot." Tears started to pour out of Haruka's eyes, and she made no effort to wipe them away.

"I realized something that night. She has no one. No one Naruto-kun. For years, I left her in this house as a puppet. Before that, my father controlled her. Our extended family never calls, she has no friends outside, no contact with others. She had nothing... but me. Me. The girl she treated like a delicate doll and locked in this damn house. The girl who hated her more than anything. That's all she had." Haruka started sobbing in Naruto's arms and he tried pulling her even closer to his chest.

"I... I still can't forgive her for a lot... even though I was no better than her. I did the same thing. The same thing she tortured me with. Except she would have never been able to escape. She would have died here. There wouldn't be a Naruto or Suzune to come and save her. That thought sickened me. How... how could I ever be worthy of loving someone if I would let my mother rot and die in this house?" Haruka let the tears run freely down her cheeks.

"That's it. When I spoke to her last week, I mentioned you. She was happy. So happy that I brought up someone that I enjoyed spending time with. She begged me to invite you over for dinner, she wanted to meet you properly. She does remember you from years ago, but she spent hours pleading with me to have you here. I said okay and asked Hikage... here we are. I made a lot of mistakes Naruto-kun. I can never be a good person after what I've done. I can't lie though, it feels nice to actually have a relationship with her. One that isn't about controlling the other, despite what I've done." Haruka finally finished and they sat in silence.

"Haruka... don't make me repeat myself again. I'm not going to judge you for anything you've done here. You made your choices and owned up to them, and now you're trying to fix everything. You actually felt for your mother, you felt her pain. Even if you can't forgive her entirely, you're making steps in a direction that makes you feel good." He paused and shifted her in his lap again. This time, he made sure they were face to face. "Being a good person doesn't mean we always make the right choices. I know you Haruka-chan. Years of knowing your smile and eyes hold a lot of emotions. Through all the teasing, the things you consider manipulative and 'bad', I saw the real you. Just like I saw what kind of person Hikage-chan was all those years ago... I know who you are."

Naruto raised his hand and placed it on her heart. Any other time, such a gesture would warrant a degree of embarrassment. Now, Haruka couldn't take her eyes off of him.

"Everybody has done things they weren't proud of. Things they wished could be different. Everyone feels those emotions too ya know? I have so many bottled up from what happened to me and I can't even remember the past. It kills me at times. Then I realize what I have here... all you girls."

'Stop...!' Haruka started to shout in her head.

"Look, you told me how you wished to be free. You are now Haruka-chan. She doesn't control you anymore and you chose to be the bigger person. Adjustments or not. You saved her from withering away here. You're free." Naruto noticed her heart beating far quicker than normal.

'Stop please...' She continued to repeat it mentally. Naruto started to grin. His smile that affected everyone he met.

"At the end of the day, you're still the Haruka that teases everyone, the one who always tries to help her teammates and the one who chose to go after me of all people."

'Stop... enough... I can't...' Haruka felt tears falling even harder now.

"You're still my Haruka-chan right?"

Haruka threw herself forward. Naruto's eyes widened at the soft kiss. It was far different from Hikage's. Haruka's kiss was needy, she pressed herself as close to Naruto as possible. The way the kiss went was different, but there's one thing that wasn't, and Naruto recognized it. The love he felt in that... it was real. He knew he needed to talk to Hikage.

Haruka noticed that he didn't shove her away, he kissed her back and her heart soared. She knows the relationship isn't normal. He's already with Hikage. A girl he loves... but after Hikage's somewhat reluctant confirmation, it gave Haruka a chance. Momentarily, she felt no better than her father. A home wrecker. Was she the same? Was she doing this out of lust? No. She loved him. She loved Naruto. The years she spent thinking of him, the years she spent in Hebijo with him. All the times she spent watching him and Hikage. All the nights she's stood up crying over never having a chance. Then when Hikage agreed to trying it... she's never felt happier. Nothing was ever normal for the Hebijo group, however Haruka didn't care anymore. Love overpowered any rationale she should have.

"I love you so much. So much Naruto-kun. You don't need to say anything. I needed you to know." Haruka left her face a few inches in front of his own after breaking the kiss. Naruto looked conflicted.

"Haruka-chan... I..." Haruka pressed her lips against his once more.

"Don't... just... I need you to know. I want to be better for a lot of reasons Naruto-kun. I wanted to be better to truly love you." Her smile was radiant, and Naruto couldn't get a single word out.

"Haruka! Can you leave your boyfriend and help me for a second!" A muffled shout carried through the halls and the evil shinobi both perked up on the bed. Haruka looked saddened for a moment before smiling at Naruto.

"One second! I'll be right there!" She shouted back and Naruto watched her get off the bed. She wiped at her eyes to clear any tears and looked to the bedside mirror to straighten out her clothes. Her eyes were still a bit red from the crying.

"I'll be right back to get you... Naruto-kun." Haruka dipped her head in his direction before exiting the room. Once the door clicked in place, Naruto's head dropped onto one of the soft pillows with a huge sigh. He raised his fingers to his lips and closed his eyes.

His other hand went to his pocket to withdraw his phone. His eyes scanned the notification screen quickly. There were quite a number of texts from Katsuragi, a game invite from Asuka and Murasaki sent him some video links that she liked. He had to respond to them all eventually, but for now he needed to talk to one person. Immediately.

The phone only needed to ring once before it was picked up.

"_Naruto?"_

"Hey Hebi-chan..." He closed his eyes and listened to her somewhat heavy breathing.

"_I just finished training. Are you alright? You don't sound normal..." _Naruto's lips twitched upwards. Only a few words and she knew something was up.

"Yeah... I'm at Haruka's now. I met her mother... a lot happened." He didn't know what to share with her at the moment.

"_...Naru? Tell me what happened... please?"_

"Haruka. She kissed me. She told me a lot... but she also said how much she loves me. I didn't push her away Hikage..."

The line was silent for a few seconds and Naruto's heart stopped. Then he heard an annoyed sigh.

"_I should have known..." _He blinked at that reaction. _"Naruto... do you love her?" _Naruto sat up in the bed at the question.

"Hikage... you know I'm..."

"_This isn't about loving me more than her Naru... do you love her? Is there any part of you that loves her? Answer me honestly." _Hikage's monotone voice was deathly serious. This question held weight to it.

"... Yes." He wanted to beat himself up for saying that to Hikage. A girl he's been through everything with. How could he do this?

"_I already know you're killing yourself over this. Doll girl is in love with you Naruto. The same way I love you. I'm not excited over this Naruto, you know that, but if you feel something for her... then it's real. It's not just her wanting sex." _Hikage's words may seem crude, but Naruto knew she would never want a girl around him that was only about lust.

"I feel like I'm betraying you Hikage. After everything..."

"_Do you love me Naruto?"_

"That's a dumb question."

"_I know, but you're dumb sometimes."_

"Come on now..."

"_What we have can't be broken. Kaa-san used to say that. When you and Haruka get back, we can all talk together, but you're not betraying me Naru. We already spoke about this sharing thing."_

"I'm sorry for doing this..." He felt the need to apologize, it did hurt him deep down.

"_Stop. What did I just say Naru? I love you." _His head dropped back onto the pillows.

"I love you too my Hebi-chan."

"_Good. I have to shower now. I don't smell good. Unlike you."_

"Ahah..." He awkwardly chuckled. She was still the same.

"_Enjoy your time with doll girl and her mother. No sex Naru. I'll know. I know everything."_

"Of course Hikage-chan. I'll see you later okay?"

"_Mhm. Let me know if the food sucks. I doubt they could cook."_

"You can't cook either Hebi-chan..."

"_I'm hanging up."_

The line died and Naruto smiled at his black phone screen. His head was pounding from an incoming headache. All of this was complicated. Then there was his Hanzo mission and those girls... life was tough.

'**Kushina would be rolling in her grave at her son having two girls.' **Kurama's deep voice echoed through his mind.

'What's the matter Kurama? Jealous?'

'**Indifferent at best. I'm a gigantic construct of chakra. Why should I be jealous of having human females?'**

"Psh... totally jealous..." Naruto whispered to himself.

* * *

A set of soft knocks alerted Naruto, he turned his head to Haruka's bedroom door slowly.

"Come in?" He fully expected Haruka to enter, despite the oddness of her knocking on her own door.

It wasn't Haruka. It was Emiko.

"Dinner is ready... I'm sorry if you were expecting Haruka-chan. She's still setting the table. I swear that girl takes her time on purpose!" Emiko huffed playfully and smiled brightly at Naruto. Tilting her head she noticed what was in his hands. A picture...

"Is that? Ah yes. That picture." Emiko approached the boy and stood next to him. Looking down at the framed photo she smiled wistfully. It was a photo of Haruka, dressed in a beautiful dress with a large pink bow decorating her hair. The trees and setting fit the aesthetic of the image.

"I remember this. It's from the day I met Haruka-chan." Naruto eyed the smile on the young Haruka's face. It was cold. Fake.

"She looks so beautiful. Her smile though... she hated it." Emiko's assessment surprised Naruto.

"N-No! I just think she was camera shy...?" Emiko laughed at his reaction.

"Hush you. I know my daughter. I remember the day it was taken. That woman... Hinata. I believe was her name."

"Yeah... Kaa-chan." Naruto's face dropped at the mention.

"Haruka-chan mentioned her passing. I'm terribly sorry sweetie. I never did get to thank her properly for watching over my precious daughter." Emiko placed her hand on Naruto's arm soothingly. Naruto smiled at her slightly.

"Kaa-chan wouldn't want any thanks. For someone who was arrogant, she was modest too. She was the best ya know?" Naruto could never truly get over her 'passing'. A part of him called out for revenge. He tried quelling it but there was no point. Deep down, he wanted it too.

"I'm sure she was." Emiko watched the boy sadly remember his late mother. Taking the picture frame from his hands, she led him by the arm to the door. "Come on now, let's go eat before the food gets cold."

Haruka's mother descended the stairs with Naruto following closely. They came upon the scene of Haruka placing silverware on the table. Once her eyes met Naruto's, she looked away in embarrassment. Emiko noticed and raised an eyebrow.

"Haruka-chan, thank you for setting the table. I'll start bringing the food out. Please sit down you two." Emiko entered the kitchen again, leaving the two at the table. Naruto, deciding to break the awkwardness, decided to be himself.

"Ramen?" His question made her giggle suddenly.

"No. Sorry to disappoint you Naruto-kun." She smiled at his pout.

"Not fair..."

"Ramen isn't healthy every day. You know this."

"Oh yeah? You trynna start something Haruka-chan?" Naruto stepped closer to her with a challenging glint.

"Not at all. We are having beef actually. You know how I like meat Naruto-kun. Although, I do have a favorite I've yet to try." Her smile was downright dirty, and Naruto gaped at her. That was quite the sentence.

"Haruka-chan, I hope I heard that wrong." Emiko entered the room with a large steaming pot of food. Naruto blushed now.

"Mother, whatever do you mean? We were just talking about meat, that's all. Doesn't Homura-chan like meat Naruto-kun?" Haruka tried playing it off but all she got from Naruto was a small glare.

"Don't ruin my appetite by talking about that-" He paused when he noticed Emiko's stare. "...Girl." He censored himself. Naruto and Homura had a unique relationship. Haruka shook her head in obvious amusement before sitting down and locking eyes with the one she loved. A silent conversation took place with their eyes. Naruto relented and sat right next to her, shoulder to shoulder. Emiko observed the entire interaction and felt extremely happy for her daughter. They were adorable together.

Dinner was a surprisingly nice time. Emiko was curious as to what Naruto did in Hanzo Academy, which was his well thought out lie. He couldn't exactly say he attended an all girls school with Haruka. Emiko loved how easily Naruto and her daughter connected. They went back and forth with jokes or even innuendos, which Emiko wasn't sure where Haruka picked that up from, but it was amusing nonetheless.

"That was delicious Emiko-san. Thank you for the meal." Naruto bowed his head to the mother of Haruka.

"Oh please dear, it was my pleasure to have you come over. Haruka-chan could not stop talking about you. It was nice to officially meet the one she is enamored with." Emiko seemed genuine and Naruto couldn't believe she used to treat Haruka like an object. Was this really the result of Haruka's so called adjustments? Or was Emiko always like this deep down?

"Mother, we should be heading back to our schools now. We do have class in the morning, right Naruto-kun?" Haruka looked in his direction but Naruto noticed the way her mother's face dropped pitifully. His eyes moved her way and Haruka picked up on it.

"Maybe we can stay a little while longer. I'd like to get to know Haruka-chan's mother some more." Naruto's words made two separate sets of eyes widen.

Haruka's hand moved under the table and gripped Naruto's thigh.

"O-Oh. If that's alright with you Haruka-chan?" Emiko stuttered out and asked her daughter.

"That's fine. Do you mind if I grab something from my room first?" Haruka responded.

"Not at all." Emiko smiled peacefully.

"Naruto-kun? Be a dear and join me." Haruka wasn't giving him many options with the grip she had on him.

They departed from the dining room and ended up back in her room. When Naruto turned to lock the door, Haruka wasted no time in shoving him against the wall. Naruto recovered quickly and placed a hand against her mouth, preventing her kiss. He removed it in time for her to speak.

"Naruto? Do you... do you not want to? I'm sorry..." Naruto shook his head with a smile.

"Let me talk for a second. I spoke to Hikage-chan before and she wants the three of us to talk." Haruka looked like she would explode from nervousness now. Which was completely out of character for the girl. "I do have to tell you something now though, Haruka-chan..."

"Yes? What is it?" She felt her hands become shaky as her hold on his shirt weakened.

"I love you." Three words. Three words that made Haruka stop breathing for a second.

"That... you... is this a joke? Naruto... please don't... don't tell me..." She was wide eyed at him once more.

"I've been with Hikage-chan for years, I'm starting to suck at jokes. I love you Haruka-chan."

Haruka's head dropped and Naruto couldn't make out her facial expression.

"Haruka-chan? Are you okay?" He was worried that he said something wrong.

"Remember when I asked for mercy?" Naruto scratched his cheek at the odd question. Then it dawned on him. Oh no...

"H-Haruka Wait! Your mother is-"

"I won't be giving you any mercy fufufu... my darling." For someone who prided himself on his shinobi strength and speed, he had no time to react to Haruka pulling him to the ground.

Then she got on top of him and her eyes... they shared the exact look that Hikage got whenever they...

"Fufufu you're mine..."

'Kurama... help me. Please buddy. I don't have the strength.' He heard the Kyuubi snort in his mindscape.

'**Sorry. I'm too busy being jealous.'**

Haruka gave him absolutely no mercy.

* * *

Returning to Hebijo took quite a while for Naruto and Haruka. Her mother used every second she had available to learn more about the two. Admittedly, Naruto was saddened by how desperate the woman seemed. He didn't want to imagine what would have happened if Haruka really did leave her as some stringless puppet in that large house.

"Naruto-kun? Do you think you can check up on Mirai-chan and Yomi-chan? They've been very tired in the mornings lately and I wonder what's been keeping them up." Haruka asked him as they stood in the hallway near their rooms.

"What? Yomi-chan knows she needs a lot of sleep because she always gets cranky in the mornings. Mirai-chan definitely needs it too. I'll get to the bottom of this." Rolling up his sleeves, he marched in the direction of Yomi's room first. Without any care, he opened the unlocked door and ignored the startled scream from the girl.

Haruka watched him go with a smile, she had something she needed to do first. Approaching Naruto's room door, she slid it open and met the yellow eyes of Hikage. Haruka had to hold her laughter back when she took in the girls attire.

They most certainly belonged to Naruto. Ramen themed boxers and a equally ramen branded sleep shirt. Hikage looked like a walking advertisement for the noodles.

"You come into my room and then judge my clothes. Stupid doll." Hikage insulted her. Haruka's smile couldn't be suppressed.

"Snake slut, why are you wearing boys clothing? Don't tell me..."

"Finish that and you die." Hikage threatened her quickly. Haruka put her head down for a second before bolting right towards the girl. Hikage didn't have time to put her guard up and the blonde got in her personal space. A pair of breasts were pushed against her own as Haruka hugged her tightly.

"Thank you... thank you... thank you..." Haruka repeated the words like a mantra to Hikage. Hikage's arms twitched in the hug. Besides Naruto and Hinata, this was new for her. Seeing as Haruka wasn't going to release her anytime soon, Hikage finally relented.

"...There better not have been any sex happening in that house Haruka." Hikage's hold was like a vice and Haruka pulled her face back with a grin.

"Oh yes. We made love under the moonlight from my bedroom window. It was breathtaking. I even did these cute little moans... Ah. Ah. Ah." Haruka mocked Hikage once again.

"I hate you." Hikage glared at the girl with all the venom she had.

"Well, I don't hate you. Hikage-chan, thank you for giving this a chance. Thank you for everything." Haruka reached out to hold the hand of the girl she finally could call friend. Hikage's hand was slack in her hold but Haruka didn't mind. She knew the green haired girl only enjoyed being physical with Naruto.

"... I'll never love this idea Haruka... but I guess you're not too bad. Naru does care for you. Even if he struggled to admit it."

"Hikage-chan, I know he'll never love me the same way as you. You've been together for so long and I-" Hikage promptly held a hand up to stop her.

"We aren't talking about that. It's pointless. Love is love. I learned that from Kaa-san too. She did tell me to kick any girls ass that tried to take him, I do have to do that to you again. Let's not compare the love he has. Just be glad that my Naru has a big enough heart to include you. Doll thief." Hikage added a new spin on her name calling.

"I believe my nickname has been upgraded."

"It's not a good thing."

"I think Naruto-kun will be the one stealing something from me soon. Hmm... Can it be called stealing if I'm giving it away?" Haruka smirked at the girl.

"Virgin. Doll virgin."

"You cannot change the nickname multiple times in one night."

"I can. Don't forget, Naru is still mine Haruka." Hikage dared her to challenge that. She stepped closer to the girl to get in her face. The ramen pajamas made her significantly less threatening.

"Believe what you want. He is my darling." Haruka pressed herself close to the girl with a challenging glint. Both their busts were pressed together, and this was the scene Naruto walked in on.

'That's pretty hot.' He was glad Kurama seemed to be napping, lest he would have heard a snarky comment. The large chests pressed together, plus the ramen outfit. Simply glorious. The image was ruined by the cold and challenging look they were sending each other. Naruto decided not to get involved in this mess.

"Oh man! I'm super tired, don't mind me girls, I'm going to get some sleep." Faking a yawn, he tried walking closer to the bed. Hikage broke her stare with Haruka and wrapped herself around his body. They both fell to the hard wooden floor.

"Tell her you're still mine. Tell her Naru." Hikage's pale thighs were squeezing his body tightly. Haruka now sat daintily on their shared bed.

"Ignore her darling. I bet she didn't even ask to wear those luxurious ramen pajamas. How rude." Haruka smiled tauntingly at her rival.

"Get off the bed Haruka. It's ours." Hikage forgot about her boyfriend for a second and stood with a glare.

"It's quite comfortable. It does seem a bit better than my own bed. Maybe Naruto-kun can help me break mine in?" She bounced her body on the mattress with a grin.

"You're a whore." Hikage told her flatly.

"Didn't you call me a virgin multiple times?"

"It's amazing how you can be both." Haruka scowled at her fellow third year.

Naruto propped himself up on his elbows and watched them interact. Two girlfriends. He would be the envy of many men.

However, when fantasizing about multiple partners, nobody thought about this aspect. Two flashes of light later, Hikage's wicked knife went sailing through the air and a chainsaw wielding puppet was sent to counter it.

"Hikage-chan! Haruka-chan! Wait! No! Not the ramen pajamas please!"

This was every man's dream.

* * *

"In here Homura."

"Jeez, it's late Suzune-sensei. Couldn't this have waited until the morning?" Rubbing at her tired eyes, Homura entered the dimly lit room before her.

"I'm terribly sorry to have you come here so late Homura-chan. Thank you Suzune. You may leave." Dōgen's imposing form nodded to the purple haired teacher. The women only hesitated for a moment before glancing at Homura once more.

"Now. Homura-chan. I'm afraid one of your squad members isn't performing as efficiently as I would have hoped." Dōgen frowned convincingly at the girl. Homura's body stiffened.

"Judging by your reaction, we both know who I'm referring to. Once again, Naruto-kun has some errors in his performance. His reluctance to the mission was noted and forgiven. Take a look at these reports." Holding out a small stacks of papers, Homura slowly accepted them. Her eyes scanned over the words on the paper with confusion.

"I don't understand... These are reports on their skills and abilities. Naruto is doing what you asked." Putting aside her issues with the boy, she had to defend him here.

"It appears to be at first glance. When I did some digging and contacted some trusted individuals to fact check, Naruto-kun's reports leave much to be desired. Take a look at the second year, Asuka. Such basic information and pointless additions. Why did he deem it necessary to leave out the fact that she is the granddaughter of the legendary good shinobi, Hanzo?" Dōgen asked her with a cunning smile.

Homura bit her lip and read over the report. Dōgen was right, it was mostly meaningless information.

"Don't get me wrong. Naruto-kun is a splendid shinobi. I have a great deal of respect for his... power. This has left a sour taste in my mouth Homura-chan. I decided to make some changes to the missions." Dōgen broke the news to the newest leader.

"Changes? Are we still Infiltrating the school?" Homura asked him quickly.

"Of course. However..." The man held up one large finger. "In one months time, your squad will attack the school to gather information on this squad of good shinobi. If possible, I'd like one to be captured and interrogated for the location of the scroll. Stealth is a nonissue here." Dōgen told her with a big grin.

"... And Naruto? What's his role?" Homura felt a twisting in her stomach.

"Naruto-kun will continue playing along with these little shinobi. Once your squad attacks, he's expected to join the fray and catch them off guard. There is one problem though, which I only bring up because of his nonsensical reports."

Homura started to clench her fists at his elongated pause.

"If Naruto-kun does not assist your group, Homura-chan... as leader, you are to eliminate him. This is standard procedure as a Hebijo shinobi. It's nothing personal I assure you. That is the worst case scenario. I'm hoping for the best. You're all such a promising group and I have many _uses_ for you in the future." His words held a lot of evil intentions, but they went over her head for the time being. All Homura could focus on was the fact that Naruto was right. Dōgen, He was plotting something. As squad leader for Hebijo, her hands were tied. This was her mission.

'I hope you don't do anything stupid Naruto...'

It was the first time Homura was genuinely worried for the boy who she was beginning to see in a positive light.

* * *

**A/N - **Haruka is in. Let's gooooooo. Late update?! Let's goooooooooo! I don't have the time for weekly updates or even every two weeks my people, but this story is still my baby.

Naurto does love Haruka. Is it the same as what he feels for Hikage? Well, that's where the whole harem issue comes in. Loving people equally is hard, especially if someone has an advantage like Hikage does. That's why I'm going to be careful with the whole "I love you all the same amount" in this story. Doing that isn't to make one girl superior to the others, but rather I'm trying to keep it """"""realistic""""""" in a sense.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, let me know what you think. PM me or review with questions etc etc. Lemme just say one thing, this site... can be incredibly toxic, it's pretty crazy. Luckily, My Shinobi doesn't get me a ton of ridiculous PM's that span from being called retarded to other things. Nice.


	17. Good And Evil

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

Whistling a small upbeat tune, a whiskered blond strolled past a couple office rooms with a spring in his step. His fingers were hard at work as they tapped away at a smartphone. The sound of bullets and shouting fell deaf on his ears as he focused on what he deemed as a more important task. It's not like he had much to worry about anyway, his girls had it covered.

'**Incoming.' **The almost bored warning came from Kurama and Naruto narrowly dodged a body propelling towards his position. **'One more. From behind.' **With his eyes still checking over his text message, mostly to revise it for spelling errors, Naruto spun and landed a brutal kick into the sternum of an incoming shinobi. The man he kicked wheezed painfully and got sent into a nearby wall. His head slumped in what could either be unconsciousness or worse.

'Thanks Kurama.' Naruto smiled behind his black face mask that his entire team wore for the mission.

'**Hmph. Read over your message again. There's a bunch of errors.' **At the beasts comment, Naruto frantically searched the sentences he typed for any mistakes. Absently he maneuvered his body to the right to avoid a unique looking bullet that belonged to one of his own.

"S-Sorry Naruto-san!" Mirai, in her transformed state, apologized quickly. Naruto shot her a small thumbs up to show it was not a big deal.

"Another coming your way my darling!" Naruto sighed and pocketed his phone without sending the text for the time being. With little fanfare, an average sized blue ball of chakra materialized in his hand. The second a large shinobi wearing what appeared to be a bear costume came barreling towards him, Naruto didn't hesitate to shove the deadly sphere into his abdomen.

Long story short, the shinobi's stomach was almost ripped apart.

'**It's no fun if you don't shout out the name brat.'**

'That text was perfect! How the hell is there something wrong with it?' Naruto wracked his brain and went over his lessons with Haruka and Mirai when it came to "texting etiquette".

'**The way you shortened the words made you appear more uneducated than usual.' **Kurama's snarky comment wasn't appreciated.

'It's called texting language or slang Kurama. It's apparently really cool.' Naruto defended himself and his use of abbreviations over instant message.

'**Looks dumb to me.'**

'You look dumb!'

Thus was the internal conversation between tailed beast and host.

The feeling of well manicured nails tapping his chest brought his attention back to the real world. Before him was one of his girlfriends, which still sounded strange to him, looking at him with playful eyes.

"Texting during a mission? Have you no shame darling?" Haruka pushed up her massive bust and cocked her hip to the side, Naruto's eyes ran over her transformed outfit. That outfit was way too lewd.

"In my defense, you girls have this covered." Raising his hands in defeat, he watched her shake her head.

"What if we got hurt? Or worse, taken hostage? Although, I hear these shinobi were looking for flat chested girls in particular." Haruka couldn't contain the laugh at Mirai's indignant shout. She loved teasing that girl.

"Then I'm sure they'd never want you." Naruto flatly answered as he looked at the chest part of her outfit. There was even a section of her top missing in between her cleavage, one that he definitely didn't have sexual thoughts about.

'**Lying is unbecoming of you.'**

Okay. He definitely did. The 'cleavage window' was a weakness of his.

"Anyway~" Haruka sang out happily. Her robot partner hovering right behind her, holding up her large lab coat with ease. "I think the others are finishing up inside the main office. Shall we join them?" Haruka offered a deceptively dainty hand to her love.

Naruto took once glance around the office bundling that they were assigned to raid and interrogate/capture the target of interest. Bodies laid about in disarray. Men and women alike were either unconscious or in some cases deceased. One thing seemed to be common among them, their clothing was absolutely ruined.

Clothes being destroyed has become the norm around Naruto that he barely batted an eye.

"You girls certainly gave them hell. Good job Mirai-chan! I'll treat you to some frozen yogurt later." Naruto didn't need to turn around to know that Mirai pumped her fist into the air happily.

"Naaaaruto-darling, what is my reward?" Haruka asked as she began to pull him towards the only room with closed doors.

Naruto placed a hand under his chin thoughtfully and hummed loudly. Haruka knew he was trying to rile her up by taking his time.

"Oh for you my dear..." He dropped his voice to mimic something deep and husky, making Haruka's body shiver slightly. "A high five!" He finished with an unseen cocky grin. Haruka's face dropped and her eye twitched madly.

"Fufufufu..."

Mirai's not so subtle giggles carried them to the last office. Naruto looked the younger girl in the eye and nodded, receiving the same gesture back. She was to stand guard and alert them for any potential threats.

"Well! Let's do this Haruka-chan." Naruto got close to the blonde third year and put his lips only a few inches away from her ear. "If you manage to interrogate the target quickly, maybe I'll upgrade the reward." He made sure Mirai was looking the other way before he reached a hand around to Haruka's large backside and squeezed the exposed flesh from her revealing outfit.

Haruka bit her lip with enough force to draw blood the minute his fingers dug into her and only a moment later, she practically shoved the doors open wildly. Mirai looked startled at the older girls reaction.

'**Surprisingly smooth. You're learning.'** Now this comment from Kurama was _appreciated_. One didn't have a girlfriend and not pick up on a few tricks.

Entering the room, Naruto observed the rest of his team. Yomi stood patiently off the side, resting on arm against her large blade and watching the target wiggle around in the middle of the office. Hikage lounged by the large window and looked at the nighttime sky with relative boredom. Her mother's knife dangling in her lax grip. Neither of their outfits had a single sign of wear and tear.

"Took you long enough! Don't tell me you struggled." Homura kicked her feet up on the desk in a unladylike fashion, easily revealing her flaming red panties.

"Nope! Spent half the time texting." Naruto cheekily answered the girl. He heard Yomi sigh and watched Hikage's lip twitch from her position by the window.

"I'll report this to sensei." Homura threatened with no real heat.

"I'll add to the report that her student needs to learn to close her legs. Thanks for the free show." Naruto was about to wait for her rebuttal before Haruka moved past him with shocking speed.

"This is the target?" She questioned seriously and reached into the large pockets of her lab coat.

Homura lowered her middle finger that was directed at a certain blond shinobi before nodding at her teammate. "Yup. This fat bastard is our target." She angled her head towards the large man cowering in ropes. "He's responsible for the taking of children from the orphanage and recruiting them into the shinobi system." Homura explained easily. The man whimpered when all eyes in the room focused on him.

"Run it by me one more time... what branch of shinobi does he work for?" Naruto quietly asked the girl Suzune appointed as leader for the mission.

"Those amazing good shinobi of course." Homura snorted loudly at her own information.

Naruto frowned behind his mask at the target. Good shinobi were meant to be those that protected others and all that. Then why was this man taking children away from having a chance to have a real home, away from pointless fights and conflicts?

Haruka allowed her robot to remove the gag from the man's mouth and he appeared to look vaguely offended.

"Y-You lot have some nerve to judge me. Evil shinobi... you're the reason half of these children are homeless. You're all the reason peace cannot exist." The man spit out at the group despite his previous cowering.

Naruto crouched right next to him and his blue eyes narrowed into slits. "Peace? What the hell do you know about peace? Good and evil shinobi have been fighting for years. There's never been a call for peace. As if I'd be talked down to by scum like you." Naruto snarled at the man, earning some raised eyebrows from his team. The heavyset man let a small smirk grace his face.

"Better to kidnap them for their betterment then leave them for dead in some ditch or betrayed. There will be peace when your kind is eliminated. Evil shinobi deserve to rot, and believe me boy, you will." He finished while spitting disgustingly at the boys masked face.

Naruto felt the familiar burn of Kurama's chakra, and his eyes bled a sickly red. Using the chakra control he's been honing relentlessly, another deadly _Rasengan _appeared. The room suddenly experienced a sudden wind storm as Naruto let his combined chakra rage about.

Before he can lower the sphere any closer, a sudden buzzing caught his ear. The vibrating front pocket of his transformed outfit alerted him that he had a call.

The chakra dissipated quickly, and Naruto leveled the shaken man with one last glare.

"I have a call to answer."

Nobody spoke as he left the room and Yomi caught Hikage awkwardly shuffling to her side.

"Are you alright...?" She whispered to the snake themed girl. Hikage froze in place and stopped her actions. She gave Yomi a small nod, not wanting the girl to know the real reason behind their shuffling.

"God... that was hot." Haruka on the other hand revealed that her temperament matched her outfit. She discreetly rubbed her thighs together at Naruto's little show. Homura slapped her palm into her face loudly.

"Interrogate the fat ass already." Seriously, she wanted this mission over with already.

Haruka snapped out of her lust and unclipped a vial of mysterious green liquid from her coat. With a savage grin unfitting of her beautiful features, she allowed the robot to hold open the struggling man's mouth and ruthlessly poured the liquid down his esophagus.

"Down the hatch~" She sang out and next came the best part. Making doll's certainly still had its appeal to Haruka.

Homura crossed her arms and let Haruka do what she does best and observed her team. Yomi was fretting over Hikage, making sure the girl was really okay. Unfortunately, Homura wasn't that innocent anymore and knew that Hikage probably reacted the same way as the doll maker. They always seemed to be in a constant state of arousal around Naruto. Why? She'd never understand.

'I mean it was a little... hot I guess.' Homura's tanned cheeks tinted red at her thought.

Even through the interrogation process, Haruka's lewd senses began tingling and she zeroed in on the squad leader.

She would be the next victim of relentless teasing.

* * *

After ruffling the hair of Mirai who looked at him with concern, Naruto made his way to the rooftop to answer the call he missed previously. Redialing the number, he didn't have to wait long for a response.

"_Woooow! Letting me go to voicemail! On a Friday night too!" _The exuberant voice of Katsuragi penetrated his eardrum. Naruto let a small smile come onto his face as the nighttime air hit his now exposed face.

"I was busy. Some of us actually have plans on Friday nights." He told the girl arrogantly.

"_Oh yeah? Well for all you know I can be going out on a date right now with the hottest guy in town."_ Katsuragi loudly told him. Kurama grumbled about how similar they were when it came to vocal volume.

"Hottest guy in town? You didn't even ask me out..." Naruto chuckled and Katsuragi soon joined him over the phone.

"_You don't know him, he goes to a different school." _She told him with mock seriousness.

"Bet I can beat him in a fight." Naruto joked and watched a helicopter fly through the night sky.

"_Naru-kun, you can't even beat little ol' me in a ramen eating contest. You're all talk." _Katsuragi all but insulted him.

"Last time was a fluke."

"_Soreeeee looooooser. Don't be a Ikaruga-chan."_

"I demand a rematch then!" Naruto shouted into the smartphone.

"_If it's for another favor, which I didn't cash in yet by the way, I'll think about it..." _She told him happily.

"Alright fin-"

"_How's tomorrow sound?" _He blinked at the quick thinking. A teasing smirk came to his face.

"What happened to your hot date?" He questioned with a laugh.

"_Oh, he literally died like a few minutes ago." _She didn't even try to sound serious now.

"What a shame."

"_You're telling me. It's okay though, I have all these girls lining up for a piece of Katsu-chan." _He could almost picture the girl puffing her chest out in pride.

"Lining up to accuse you of harassment maybe."

"_Oi Oi Oi! Who the hell raised you to be such a smart ass?"_

"My Kaa-chan had quite the mouth on her ya know?" He told her fondly.

Katsuragi quieted down for a second when she heard the way he talked about his mother. If Naruto could see it, he would feel bad about the large frown overtaking the blondes face.

"_... Anyway! Where's your hot date for tonight? Is it that Murasaki girl that always texts you?"_

"I don't know, is it? As a matter of fact, I never sent her a response to a text from before." Naruto put Katsuragi on speaker quickly to proof read the text again. Kurama made him self conscious now.

"_Ooo~ what did she send you? Some nudes?" _Katsuragi teased him again.

"No, just her declaration of love and we are also busy planning the wedding." Kurama become aware that Naruto was becoming scarily good at flirting with girls. The brat needed more friends of the same gender for sages sake.

In her bedroom Katsuragi chewed on a fingernail for a moment, thinking of a witty comeback. Surely Naruto was joking, no way would a girl message him that. Marriage? Hah. As if. Opening her mouth to speak, another voice cut through the speaker.

"Bastard! Let's go! We are done here." Naruto looked back to see his team waiting on the stairwell. Haruka's robot somehow managing to carry the almost comatose obese man.

Katsuragi blinked at the presence of a females voice on Naruto's line and she tried speaking again before Naruto began to talk rapidly.

"Hey! Text me the details okay? Sounds great for tomorrow. Looking forward to it! Have a nice night." Just like that he cut the call and Katsuragi stared at her phone in shock. Was he with a girl? Katsuragi wasn't jealous of course. Why should she be? They weren't dating or anything. They were simply teammates and she didn't plan on getting closer to anyone until she reached her goal.

'This pain in my stomach is just from eating too much...' Katsuragi spent the rest of the night waiting for a text back.

Meanwhile, Naruto stuck his phone back into his pocket after shooting Murasaki that text message.

"Who were you on the phone with?" Hikage situated herself on his back and Naruto's hands wasted no time in holding onto her jean covered thighs.

"A girl from Hanzo Academy. She wants to meet up tomorrow." Naruto explained to the whole group. Hikage pulled on his ear harshly.

"Naru, no more girls." He briefly saw Haruka nodding her head sagely.

"She's just a friend."

"Virgin doll was just a friend." Hikage reminded him quickly.

"Oh my..." Yomi gasped and then blushed. "Haruka-san is still... um... it's not my business. Forget I said anything please!" She buried her gloved hands into her face and hid from her team. Haruka felt another twitch coming on.

"Naruto-kun, I think I know what reward I want." Haruka glared heatedly at Hikage. Dumb green haired snake and her smug emotion/emotionless face. She knew that didn't make sense but dammit!

"Naruto-san... can I have my reward first?" Mirai asked him shyly and Naruto's face softened at the cute first year.

"Anything for you Mirai-chan! You can even help me play that online game Murasaki-chan keeps texting me about while we eat." Naruto told her kindly. The girl who wore a cute set of black cat ears, hid behind her umbrella gun to prevent him from seeing the blush.

Mirai was slowly starting to love Naruto. She never had a sibling, but if this was what it felt like, then she didn't mind in the least.

"Hey! Here's what I want for my reward! We finish our mission." Homura told him harshly. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the girl.

"Our mission is basically over and there aren't any threats left to take out. We can afford to drop the act of stone cold evil shinobi." Naruto felt Hikage tighten her arms around his torso.

Homura chose to stay quiet after Naruto's comment. She was trying to help him, but if he was going to be stubborn, then she'll act the same.

"Let's go back to Hebijo... might as well get rid of this guy." Hikage spoke up and nobody had any arguments there.

"We have to report back to Suzune-sensei and then we are free for the weekend. Move out." Homura commanded dryly and the whole team moved. Vanishing into the night and leaving behind a bloody and destroyed office building. When shinobi turned up to investigate, they wouldn't even be able to track the slightest bit of a clue relating to the perpetrators.

* * *

Seated at a large expensive computer, Naurto furrowed his brow at the screen. Clad in his ramen themed pajamas and absentmindedly eating an extra large cup of frozen yogurt, he listened to the presence on his lap explaining the ins and outs of the desktop.

"You can rebind these keys depending on what's most comfortable for you. Personally I use the standard bindings though." Mirai pointed to the keys with one hand while the other scooped her favorite frozen treat into her mouth. Wearing a matching set of heart themed soft pajamas, she didn't feel any embarrassment seated on Naruto.

"... I understood some of that." He didn't have a clue. "She wants me to play this game though, how do I start it up? She tried explaining it but Murasaki-chan gets really nervous talking on the phone." Naruto frowned at the computer screen.

"What game?" Mirai questioned him as she leaned against him calmly. Sometimes she questioned how she became this comfortable around a boy. Naruto just had this presence that calmed her down. She didn't feel the need to react violently to teasing around him.

"Duty of Modern War." He scratched at his spiky hair. "I think?" Mirai started giggling at the clueless nature of her teammate.

"That's close enough. I heard that game is really bloody, Murasaki-san must like games like that huh?" Mirai asked him as she started clicking around on the computer.

'You have no idea. Her music taste is certainly different...' He's never heard of 'Screamo' music until Murasaki and he can safely say it's not his cup of ramen. "Yeah she's unique?" That was the best way to answer.

"Fufufufu, Hikage-san and Haruka-sama both said no more girls." Mirai started laughing at his flustered expression.

"We are just friends ya know... and don't call Haruka-chan that. It's weird." Naruto flicked Mirai on her small nose making her recoil back.

"Meanie. You hit me so I shouldn't help you get this set up." Mirai threatened him and hid her smile behind the frozen yogurt.

"You're being corrupted by Haruka-chan and I don't think I like it." He made a mental reminder to speak with Haruka about her unique relationship with Mirai.

"Haruka-sa-" A pinch on her arm made her stop. "-san... is not corrupting me."

"Liar."

"Naruto-san!" A loud but gentle voice called out to him and she wandered over to him and Mirai. "I've never tried this frozen yogurt before, do you think I can have some of yours? I can offer payment, as nothing in this world is free. I shall go grab my wallet, please wa..it?" Yomi was cut off as Naruto shoved the yogurt cup into her face.

"Friends don't pay each other to share Yomi-chan. You can have the rest, I need to focus on learning with Mirai-chan anyway." He told her with a closed eye smile. Naruto was very gentle with Yomi at times, and there was a small reason for it. If not for the personalities and some slight facial feature differences, she would be the spitting image of his 'adopted' mother. He knew they weren't the same person obviously, though it's nice to have a reminder of Hinata around.

Yomi's eyes watered at the gracious offer. Ever since she met him when attempting to rob his home at her lowest moments, he's been nothing but kind to her. He didn't treat her like a poor street rat and even indulged in her beansprout dinners. Throwing herself forward and making him almost lose the grip on the yogurt, she wrapped her arms around his head due to Naruto's seated position.

Naruto was treated to being smothered in Yomi's braless cleavage. He didn't even feel embarrassed anymore and that was a testament to how he changed.

"Stupid... boob cows... disgusting..." Mirai looked vaguely depressed in his lap and he finally pushed Yomi back slightly.

"Here Yomi-chan, go enjoy it. Don't eat too fast though." She gratefully affected the offer and shot him a beaming smile.

"I will cherish this. Maybe I can even add some beansprouts to enhance the flavor!" She seemed to excited that Naruto didn't even have it in him to explain how disgusting that would taste. With that, Yomi skipped away to settle down and eat the frozen treat.

"Boob... cows... all of them." Mirai continued to mutter and Naruto laughed lightly. Circling his now free arms around her smaller body he leaned his chin atop of her head and watched her slow clicks on the mouse.

"Hey Mirai-chan? Wanna know a secret?" Naruto whispered to her after making a show of checking for any listeners. Mirai was going to shout about not being childish enough to care for secrets but she was insanely curious. Nodding at the older blond, he began to smile.

"Who cares about boob size, you're the cutest out of all of them. I mean, Homura-chan literally spreads her legs while sitting. How's that cute?!" Naruto felt good when he heard the happy giggles coming from Mirai. Mirai wiped a tear away from her eye that was a cause from the laughter.

"Thanks Naru-nii..." Naruto and Mirai both froze at the suffix. Mirai turned to face him and her skin was as pale as a ghost. Naruto's grin started to stretch wide. "T-T-That was a mistake! I-I didn't mean it!" Mirai tried backpedaling and escaping his grip, unfortunately Naruto's strength was far more than she can handle.

"See. Now that's appropriate to call someone. I accept!" He didn't need to see Mirai's now hidden face to know it was burning brighter than Kurama's eyes.

"D-Do you want to learn how to use the computer or are you going to keep teasing me?!" The black haired girl shouted at him and he ruffled her messy hair.

"Alright alright. Let's do this! Murasaki-chan will be shocked when she sees my mad skills." Naruto picked up the discarded computer mouse and started clicking at the screen.

"That's the wrong side of the mouse." Mirai pointed it out quickly.

"I knew that!"

He didn't.

* * *

"... I'm getting really tired of these one on one talks doll girl."

"Believe me, I'd rather be looking at my piece of man meat instead of you, but this is necessary."

"Don't call him that. He is not your... man meat."

"In due time Hebi-chan, in due time." Haruka patted the girl on the leg and Hikage's eyes narrowed.

"What's this talk about? More time with him...? Dates?" Hikage questioned her in the girls usual dull tone.

"No no. We have a good little system going on. It's much simpler than that my dear." Haruka smiled mysteriously at Hikage.

"Don't."

"I would like to begin getting a little more physical with Naruto-kun." Haruka paused and nodded to herself. "I worded that properly. Originally I was going to ask if he can pound me into-"

"Why should I say yes? You know how this relationship works." The love factor was agreed to go unspoken, there was no need to add drama to what could already be complicated. "He's mine. _All _of him." Hikage decided to stress the word.

"Yet he's also mine. Plus, I'm no fool Hikage-chan, my darling has enough to go around." Haruka's smile was downright dirty and Hikage averted her eyes with a small flush overtaking her features.

"I hate that the community bath included him..." Hikage didn't like all of Hebijo seeing her boyfriend's penis. No matter how hard he tried hiding it.

"I have no complaints."

"Shocking."

"So what do you say Hikage-chan? Can darling give me a little bit of loving too?" Haruka asked her hopefully.

Hikage threw her head back onto the bed that she shared with her Naru. Haruka decided to sneak into the room some nights to lay close to the boy she loved, something Hikage didn't care for. Even if it did make the bed warmer, and she didn't really like the cold. Anyway, this whole shared relationship thing was weird, even by her standards.

Naruto never made her feel like he was spending less time with her, if anything, he spent more time with her. The only thing that really stopped him from being around her was the Hanzo assignment.

Hikage was extremely possessive. She needed everything about Naruto constantly, having become dependent on his presence after years of being with him. Was it healthy? She didn't care. However, letting her boyfriend have sex with another girl wasn't something she felt amazing about.

"I know you don't want this Hikage-chan. Who would want their boyfriend sleeping around? You'd kill him if he ever tried that. We both know Naruto-kun though, he's more loyal than even my best puppets. I don't want to be with him purely out of lust, I can't lie and say I'm not dying for it, but I love him more than anything." Haruka spoke her piece and placed her back against the bed alongside the snake girl.

Hearing nothing from Hikage except cold silence, Haruka frowned and decided to be even more honest with her.

"Hikage-chan. If you're not okay with it, I won't do it. I'm happy just being around Naruto-kun all the time. That's good enough for me." Haruka closed her eyes in defeat. She hated losing, even if this was a case where she couldn't afford to lose her precious darling.

"Heh. You'll die a virgin doll." Hikage chuckled lowly and Haruka cracked an eye open. "Haruka. You'd really give up doing anything with him just to stay together?" Hikage's yellow eyes searched the girls soul.

"Yes. It sounds insane, I know. It shows how much I love Naruto-kun. I don't know where I would be right now if he didn't come into my life." Haruka twirled her blonde hair idly while staring into the distance.

"Never in my life have I hated and liked someone at the same time." Hikage admitted to the girl. The hate came from her intense jealousy. Haruka giggled lowly.

"I can't say the feeling is mutual. You helped me so much as well that I can never hate you again Hikage-chan. When we first met again in Hebijo, I certainly didn't care for you. Now, after getting to know you over the years and you allowing me to be with my favorite person, it really shows how good of a person you are." Haruka sat up and smiled genuinely at her friend.

Hikage rubbed at her tired eyes and frowned slightly at the girl. "You're not manipulating me here...?" Hikage knew of Haruka's previous actions in Hebijo. The girl was infamous for controlling others.

"Never. I made a promise to Naruto-kun. I'm trying to be better. You knew that already. That target during our mission doesn't count obviously." Haruka stuck her tongue out playfully.

Hikage wanted to beat herself up for the decisions she's been making. Yes, sharing Naruto wasn't ideal but making Haruka feel the same emotions as her felt... good. Naruto was full of love and she knew he'd never love her any less.

Haruka watched her teammate get off the bed and lazily walk to the dresser in her room. Throwing panties and bras messily onto the floor, Haruka deadpanned at the uncaring nature of Hikage. Then a box impacted with her face.

"Those are ALWAYS to be used. If anybody is having a baby, it's me." The implication made Haruka open her mouth in shock and embarrassment.

"W-What?" Haruka reached a shaky hand to the box and turned it over. 'Condoms!' She felt her ears burn. Despite her lewd nature and actions towards Naruto. Outside of kissing and the usual touching, she's done nothing more with the boy. Her eyes looked back and forth between Hikage and the box sporadically. "You're allowing this?!" She asked loudly.

"You know what they are right...?" Hikage let a cruel smirk come to her face. "The birds and the bees are-" A pillow impacted with her face now and Haruka fumed at her.

"O-Of course I do! I'm not some child." Haruka defended herself quickly.

"You are a virgin though."

"Stop virgin shaming, snake slut."

"Jealous."

Haruka ignored her and reached into the box of what should be surprisingly colorful condoms.

"Huh? There's only four in here?" Haruka asked curiously. Hikage perked up at the news.

"Oh. No big deal. Naru will get more."

"The box says... contains one hundred..."

Hikage stared blankly at the girl.

"Where's the other... ninety... six..." Haruka's eyes widened dramatically.

Hikage shrugged.

"Oh... my god."

"Naruto is like an unlimited battery. I love him."

Haruka didn't know if she was doing her best impersonation of Yomi or if she was about to pass out from the reveal.

Hikage stood up and stretched, her bust swinging freely in the thin pajama top. Patting Haruka on the shoulder lazily, she walked to the exit of her own bedroom. "Hope he doesn't break you doll girl."

Haruka heard the door close and held the remaining condoms nervously.

"They are monsters..."

That summed it up perfectly in her eyes.

* * *

Yawning loudly, Naruto stepped into the hallways of Hebijo the next day with a groan. He spent almost the entire night playing a video game with Murasaki, with Mirai's help. The sister of Imu refused to use the voice chat feature Mirai talked about due to her nature but he hoped she had a good time.

Walking with his hands behind his head, he had a destination for today. Katsuragi only left him about a dozen text messages involving their plans. Her last message had quite a few rude words attached to display how she felt about him hanging up on her.

"Where are you off to?" The condescending voice calling out to him was one he's grown used to.

"Told you girls already last night. I'm meeting with someone from Hanzo Academy." Naruto slowed his pace down for the newcomer to catch up.

"Maybe you'll pass along some more information regarding the girls we will be attacking." Homura walked at an even pace with him.

"Maybe I will. Maybe I won't." Naruto responded nonchalantly.

'**Every time you speak of the Hanzo group, Homura slowly becomes angrier.' **Kurama noted inside the seal.

'Homura-chan is an angry girl in general.' He heard the Kyuubi snort in response.

"Naruto! Just... ARGH! You piss me off, you know that?" She grabbed at his previously neat red button down shirt.

"Is it that time of the month Homura-chan? Seriously, I always avoid the others when that happens." Naruto's face was pale at the thought.

Homura slapped him harshly.

"Deserved that one..."

"Naruto. Remember YOU have a mission involving these girls. You are an evil shinobi, supplying this information is essential to our team's success. Do you want Hikage or Haruka getting hurt because you are holding information back?" Homura was doing her best to hold back the fact that Dōgen wants her to watch over Naruto for any signs of a betrayal.

Naruto gently removed her hands from his shirt and the red mark from her slap was practically gone within seconds.

"Homura. None of you will get hurt, believe me on that one. I don't know what information you keep bothering me about. Those Hanzo girls aren't a huge threat. As for the layout of the school and anything valuable, I've done my best to scout it out while avoiding suspicion. If Dōgen has a problem, he can come right to me." Naruto watched Homura's eyes widen as he finished speaking.

"W...What?"

Naruto chuckled and began to walk away from her again, his hands instantly going behind his head to walk with no worries.

"Also Homura-chan?"

She turned to watch his retreating form.

"I am a shinobi. Don't ever doubt that."

Homura sighed as she watched him vanish into the Hebijo campus.

'**Dōgen definitely has something planned Naruto.' **His trusted companion voiced mentally. Kurama laid in the murky waters of the seal and watched through its containers eyes.

'Why do evil shinobi have to be so cliché? Always plotting and being a pain in my ass.' Naruto hopped from rooftop to rooftop on his journey to Katsuragi.

'**You can't deny that you do withhold a lot of information about the other girls. Attachment causes that.'**

'Don't become a broken record Kurama.'

'**The female version of you was right. You're becoming too much of a smart ass.'**

Naruto laughed as he landed in an alleyway near the train that would take him to the ramen spot Katsuragi selected. He supposed Kurama wasn't entirely wrong, Katsuragi shared a lot of similarities with him.

'**I wonder what all of the girls would do if they saw you use **_**that **_**jutsu.' **Kurama sounded faintly amused. Naruto shivered when he thought about the reactions. Especially Katsuragi.

'Did you really have to teach me that technique? It doesn't seem very... useful?' Naruto easily boarded the train and rested among the crowded populace.

'**It was used to distract a literal goddess.'**

Naruto wouldn't make fun of the _Oiroke no Jutsu _ever again.

When the train came to an inevitable halt, Naruto stepped out and felt confusion hit him as he stared at the address texted to him. He was terrible with direction and even he could tell this was not the same ramen spot that they went to before.

Shrugging pitifully, he sent out multiple transformed clones to find the proper street. Ignoring Kurama's backhanded comment about that being "sad for someone his age", his eyes became hazy when he felt the dispelling of his favorite technique.

A few minutes later he arrived at the location and came into contact with a very annoyed Katsuragi.

"Good afternoon!" She told him cheerfully before glaring at him deeply. "What kinda asshole hangs up like that on the phone?! Seriously, if you were on a date with that Murasaki girl you just had to tell me. Not that I'd care about it, I would just like to know because-" Naruto placed a hand over her mouth and shook his head in amusement.

"It wasn't a date and that wasn't her. I was hanging out with some old friends." It was scary how easy that lie spilled out. "Also, this isn't the usual ramen place. I thought we were having a rematch." Katsuragi blinked at this information and looked him over.

"... You see there's a teeny tiny change in plans hehehe..." The girl rubbed her neck in the exact same manner he would when nervous.

"Asuuuka-chan! Naruto-kun is here!" The bubbly voice of Hibari called out from the entrance of the restaurant. Naruto gave the overexcited shinobi a big wave.

"Yeah... that's the change in plans." Katsuragi told him with a strained smile. This was supposed to be a day for her to eat ramen with someone who she considered her best ramen eating bud, and then her team ruined it.

"It's alright Katsu-chan, they are my team too ya know?" He bumped into her playfully on his way into the fancy looking location. Katsuragi watched him walk away with a grin creeping onto her face.

'Mama likes those tight jeans on you Naru-kun heheheh!'

"Katsuragi. Stop molesting me with your eyes and let's get food." His call from the doorway startled her.

"I'm not sorry!" She ran towards him as he held the door open. Naruto did his best to avoid the way her breasts bounced. Even in casual clothing and no cleavage showing, these shinobi were something else.

Naruto walked side by side with his blonde counterpart and came upon his group sitting at a counter of a sushi bar. Throwing the girls a grin, Asuka and Hibari responded in kind. Yagyū and Ikaruga merely offered him a respectful nod.

"I'm guessing there's no ramen here?" He didn't see the way Katsuragi flinched at the question. Asuka laughed to herself and gestured to two seats at her side.

"Even better!" The bubbly granddaughter of Hanzo shouted out. Naruto found it odd how the rest of the restaurant was empty. He didn't want to judge a place by that merit, so he took a seat by the girl.

After greeting each member, he sat and watched them interact with each other. They did remind him of his team, but there was a strange feeling he got around them. It was like they were _trying_ to be the best of friends and something was stopping them.

"You all ready to order yet?" An older man walked out of the room behind the sushi bar. Naruto broke his gaze from observing the girls to take in the newcomer. His blue eyes became shocked and he jumped off his stool. The man started to smile widely at him.

"OLD PERVERT!"

"Ah! Naruto-kun, nice to see you again."

Every member of Team Hanzo looked surprised at the interaction. Before any girl could speak up, Naruto did it for them.

"Don't tell me this is your sushi restaurant..."

"Precisely! After my retirement, I needed a hobby." Hanzo leaned on the counter and watched the shocked boy with amusement.

"Naru-kun, you met with the old man before?" Katsuragi asked him curiously.

"Only once. At a train station and the first thing he asked me was... wait..."

"Go on young man." Hanzo told him happily. The Hanzo team were also waiting to hear what the legendary shinobi could have asked. Asuka was also brimming with curiosity. Naruto told her about meeting with her grandfather before, but she was dying to know the details of their previous conversation.

"He asked if I prefer breasts or ass..." Naruto lamely finished and sat down. Ikaruga sighed loudly at the words and Yagyū looked disinterested. Hibari watched with childlike confusion. Asuka shot up with a large blush.

"D-Don't ask my teammate those kinds of questions!" She shook her fist at her grandfather.

"Asuka-chan, I specifically asked if he preferred life or hometown, but it seems your newest member is quite indecisive. He can't just say both! It's preposterous!" Hanzo shouted passionately.

"Damn right! You gotta pick one Naru-kun! To claim both... are you not man enough to make a decision?!" Katsuragi poked at his chest repeatedly.

"I just want to eat..." Naruto said in defeat. He really didn't expect to deal with this pervert who knew a lot more about him than he should.

"Please! Let's eat! Naruto-kun, you'll enjoy it, I guarantee it. We will have the usual." Asuka yelled with a red face. She didn't want to hear about such lewd topics. Asuka was very innocent.

"What even is the usual?" Naruto was never a big sushi guy. Mostly because he preferred ramen for every meal of the day.

"That pervert makes the best futomaki rolls around!" Katsuragi threw her arm around Naruto's neck and leaned her body to his. When close to his ear, she began to whisper low enough for only him to hear. "If you don't like it, we can get ramen later." Naruto's eyes lit up.

'**Girl number three. Do I hear girl number three...'**

'Shut up Kurama.'

"Coming right up! Naruto-kun, don't do anything I wouldn't do while you wait." Hanzo winked at the hidden evil shinobi.

"I don't even want to imagine what you'd do." Naruto whispered as his head impacted the counter in front of him.

"He's not always like that Naruto-kun, I swear." Asuka smiled at the whiskered boy nervously.

Naruto raised his head and quirked an eyebrow at the girl. Asuka's smile became even more strained.

"Haha...?" She tried salvaging the legendary shinobi's reputation.

"Asuka's pervy family aside, Naruto!" Katsuragi shouted at him and grasped his shirt roughly. "Let's have a little challenge while we wait. Think you can beat me in arm wrestling?" Naruto should have noticed the downright evil smile on her face before agreeing.

"You don't stand a chance Katsu-chan."

"Winner gets another favor! Sound good?" She resisted the urge to rub her hands together victoriously.

"Katsu-nee is going to ask for something inappropriate." Asuka whispered to Ikaruga. The sophisticated girl pinched the bridge of her nose already knowing how Katsuragi was.

"Why does he even bother accepting? She's planning something." Yagyū questioned her teammates. Hibari pushed her body closer to the eye patch wearing shinobi to look closer at the resident blondes. Nobody saw the fierce blush that Yagyū hid away quickly.

"Maybe Naruto-kun and Katsuragi-chan like each other." Hibari actually kept her voice low and whispered to the girls as they watched the duo stand up and roll up their sleeves. Ikaruga frowned at the statement.

"Shinobi aren't supposed to form attachments that easy." On paper that was the correct way of thinking and Ikaruga was one to always go by the books.

"That's a little silly." Asuka looked disappointed at her senior teammate. "What's wrong with having friends? Aren't we all friends Ikaruga-chan?" The bubbly Hanzo student questioned her.

"Ah... we are." Ikaruga appeared thoughtful for a moment. "I believe Hibari-san meant something along the lines of romantic affection. Which is hard to believe when regarding Katsuragi-san and her affection towards the female form." There's also the fact that they only met a short while ago. Despite the fact that whenever Naruto was in class or on missions with them, Katsuragi stuck by his side constantly.

"If you four keep whispering over there, I'm gonna start groping!" Katsuragi shouted with a wide grin. Naruto shook his head in amusement.

"Ready to lose blondie?" Naruto asked her playfully. Katsuragi focused completely on him as they leaned over the bar counter. She shot him a playful look back.

"Try not to make this too easy for me Naru-kun~" She sang out to him happily. Her hand slipped into his easily and she mentally noted how large it was compared to her own.

'Easiest win of my life.' Naruto wasn't being arrogant, he knew that Katsuragi preferred using her legs rather than her arms. He's been training ever since Hinata found him and that's not counting his previous life. He could surely beat an untransformed shinobi. No chakra was needed. 'Wait a minute...' Naruto's eyes became panicked when he noticed the dirty smirk on Katsuragi's face. The girl reached into the front of her shirt and revealed a blue and white striped bra to the boy. He only had a split second to react before a bright light made him squint.

Then he felt his hand impact with the wooden counter.

The snickering from Kurama told him that he was just played.

"Katsu-nee, how cheap..."

"Of course..."

"Not surprising."

"Hey I missed it!" Bless Hibari's soul.

Katsuragi watched Naruto's shocked expression as his arm laid flat on the table. She had to put a lot of strength into even making him budge with her full transformation in that split second. Flashing him her bra was also supposed to give her an edge, although he didn't seem too embarrassed by that which made her a bit shocked. What kind of guy didn't react to boobs?

"That's two favors for Katsu-chan!" She pointed at her chest proudly. Her transformed outfit stared back at the annoyed Naruto.

"What the hell was that?! When did you say we could transform?" Naruto got into her face a shout.

"When did I say we couldn't?" She watched his expression drop in defeat. Reaching up, she patted his whiskered cheek gently. "It's okay, my favors will feel good." Naruto didn't even want to know what she meant by that.

He seated himself at the bar and crossed his arms with a big pout. Under his breath he began to mutter.

"If I used my chakra or my transformation she wouldn't stand a chance... Kurama's chakra too..." The tailed beast inside of him started whispering how he was a sore loser.

"Someone transformed and I missed it?!" Hanzo frantically ran out of the back room and scanned the room. His eyes landed on Katsuragi and his eyes unashamedly took in her outfit.

Katsuragi hid behind the seated Naruto slightly and paled. "So this is how it feels to be on the receiving end of harassment..." She commented and let her transformation drop.

"Perhaps you'll stop Katsuragi-san?" Ikaruga's hopeful expression was shot down by a glare from the blonde girl.

"I am a master of my craft. Don't ever assume such a thing." Ikaruga should have seen that coming.

"Well now that I'm disappointed, here's your orders." Hanzo presented the rolls to the group with a flat voice. Naruto's stomach growled as he looked at the sushi chefs creation.

"Yes!" Asuka all but shot out of her seat to grab at the food. This was her favorite for a reason.

Naruto thanked Hanzo before grabbing a roll for himself and before he can eat it he turned to look at his Hanzo teammates. His jaw dropped at how... ridiculous these girls ate the rolls. Asuka caught his eye and placed her roll down curiously.

"Naruto-kun? What's wrong?" She noticed he seemed frozen in place. "Oh... maybe it's the size of the rolls? You see, this is the usual because it's best to open really wide, take it all in and savor it all deeply!" At her explanation, he still looked stunned.

'Does she realize how she's describing it? Or how they are eating it?' Naruto noticed that nobody called her out for the description or manner of eating. Not even Hanzo.

'**You heard her. Open real wide, take it all in and savor it deeply.' **Kurama began roaring with laughter at Naruto's horrified face.

"It's considered rude not to taste the chefs cooking while he's right there Naru-kun! Here, I'll help you!" Katsuragi picked up his roll swiftly and shoved it into his mouth with no hesitation.

'I want to go home.' Naruto felt tears roll down his face as he almost choked on the large roll. 'Kurama I will regain ALL my memories and learn how to tighten the seal up to the max if you don't stop laughing.' The fox took the threat in stride and kept the laughter going.

"Look! He loves it. He's crying over how delicious it is." Asuka was practically beaming with pride for her grandfather's creation.

Naruto promised he was going to get some payback on Katsuragi for this, especially since he saw the sly look she aimed his way.

After he got past the way the Hanzo girls ate their sushi, Naruto finished up the lunch and admitted it was tasty. He'll never prefer it over ramen, especially after that experience.

Just as they were finishing up, everyone tensed when a strong wind appeared in the middle of the room. Naruto quickly realized it was a shinobi technique. Before he could draw his trench knives, which as always were attached to him, he noticed who the shinobi was. His "sensei", Kiriya. The man's gaze fell on Hanzo first before narrowing at Naruto and sweeping to the girls.

"Good, you're all together. That makes things easier." Kiriya's suit was still pristine after the little windstorm he kicked up.

"Kiriya-sensei? Is something wrong?" Ikaruga spoke for the team.

"You're team is specifically being assigned a mission. For today." He dropped the news on them dryly.

"Hibari and I are cleared to take part in this?" Yagyū seemed concerned for a moment.

Kiriya looked to Hanzo for a moment before nodding at the girl. "Yes. It is not unlike the missions you've had to dispatch any gang members causing trouble in town. This time you're going to be tasked with taking down a hideout that belongs to one." Naruto perked up at this information.

"Which gang?" At his question, Kiriya paused and Naruto felt his stomach turn.

"They call themselves Daybreak."

'What... no... this can't be possible...' Naruto's eyes widened frantically at the name. Daybreak, that gang was gone. Gone with Hinata. There's no way someone was still leading it.

"Daybreak? Weren't they disbanded some time ago Kiriya?" Hanzo watched the events before him with a stern face.

"Indeed Hanzo-sama. However, it seems there's been a reemergence in their members and now they perform more than simple petty crimes and theft."

Naruto's hands started to shake madly at the thought. Hinata never claimed to be a good person and he knew his adopted mother did some terrible things. 'For someone to drag her gangs name into this after she's gone... I can't allow this.'

"Are there any potential risks going into this Kiriya-sensei?" Ikaruga professionally asked.

"According to our intel, there's quite a number of members stationed inside the hideout. They shouldn't pose a threat to your team. The reason behind you all clearing it is quite simple. It's led by an evil shinobi." Kiriya broke the news once more.

'No. No. No.' Naruto was resisting every part of his mind screaming at him to get up and run out. Katsuragi glanced at him and was about to ask him if he was alright.

"Are we ready for that?" Asuka asked with a small frown. Her own anxiety over being good enough was beginning to show.

"Intel claims it to be only one shinobi. One male. You have the advantage in terms of numbers and even access to your _Shinobi Tenshin_, I'm not too concerned. Maybe you can even gather information on the leader while clearing out the lower ranking members."

"What's the leaders name?" Naruto was doing his best to suppress the familiar crawl of Kurama's chakra. Hanzo glanced at the boy and focused on the slight sign of his fingernails appearing to sharpen.

"That is unknown. All we know is his affiliation or previous affiliation. Normally, I'd never assign something like this when first years are involved but considering the shinobi of Hanzo Academy received a tip regarding this intel, your team was chosen. My hands are tied." Kiriya wondered why Naruto seemed to be barley able to contain his rage. As a matter of fact, all of the girls felt the air shift.

"A tip? From who?" Hanzo questioned again.

"It was anonymous. Although, it comes from a good place." 'Allegedly.' Kiriya thought to himself.

"When does our mission begin?" Yagyū pushed down her own worry and decided to use this as a learning experience. Kiriya-sensei was right, they had the advantage here.

"At sunset today. Authorities have been trying to capture members of this gang for years, so do your best to simply incapacitate them. The leader should be taken in alive. If it comes down to it, you take him out and protect yourselves. Meet up right outside the resident red light district, Ikaruga, I'll leave the locations address with you. Report back to me at Hanzo Academy upon your success." Kiriya bowed to Hanzo before looking over his team one more time. "Uzumaki? Are you fit for this mission?" The boy's head was down, and his hair almost covered his eyes.

"Yes." He didn't look up to respond and Kiriya sighed before handing a slip of paper to Ikaruga and teleporting once more. He needed to look into this so called anonymous tip.

"Hey? You good Naru-kun?" Katsuragi leaned over to get a look at his face. For a second she could have sworn his eyes were colored a vicious red before bright blue locked onto her. He only nodded, not trusting rage to not slip into his voice.

"Asuka-chan, why don't you all get ready for your mission? Let me talk to your teammate for a minute." Hanzo told the girl and she was stunned at his serious voice.

"O-Okay, come on everybody." She got up slowly and her team struggled to follow her. Katsuragi bit her lip and her mind was going into what made Naruto act like this. The gang, Daybreak? Why did he care so much?

"Katsuragi-san, let's go prepare." Ikaruga wasn't trying to be forceful, but she knew Hanzo wanted to speak with their newest teammate. There was no way she'd deny a man of his stature. Katsuragi looked back and forth between her team and the boy who still quietly sat still.

"I'll see you later okay Naru-kun. Don't forget you owe me those favors! Hehehe..." She tried to laugh happily but Naruto continued to remain in place.

"Katsuragi-chan, I'll handle this. Run along with your friends before I punish you." Hanzo told her with a perverted giggle. Katsuragi paled again and made a dash for the exit. No way would she let some old pervert touch her.

'It's him. It's him Kurama. It has to be. IT HAS TO BE!' Naruto raged internally. His eyes were glazed over as he entered the seal. Within the seal, every one of his features were enhanced by the Kyuubi's chakra.

'**We don't know for sure Naruto. You're losing your cool again. Stay calm." **It was easier said than done in this scenario. Kurama didn't blame him.

'Do I tell Hikage? I can't. I can't tell her. I'll have Hebijo meeting up with Hanzo and then everything will become a mess. What if it's him?! What do I do?!' Naruto pulled at his hair roughly.

'**Think rationally. Naruto, stop letting emotions control you.' **Kurama looked down at the pacing host.

'Someone took Kaa-chan's name! They are spitting on everything she's ever done! How can I be calm?!' Naruto shouted at the colossal tailed beast.

'**What's going to happen if you start throwing my chakra around without one of those barriers up? There's too many unknowns and hidden agendas for you to fall into your emotions like this.'**

'I hate this. All of this.' Naruto admitted to the bijuu. 'Everybody apparently has some sort of plan, some information, some motive! Good shinobi, evil shinobi, there's no fucking difference.' He cursed loudly in his rant.

"Being a shinobi, one is expected to have a firmer grasp on their emotion. Relax kid." Naruto snapped out of his mindscape at the sound of Hanzo's voice. Looking up, Hanzo was treated to red pupils burning with malice. The aged shinobi didn't react and laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"This gang, Daybreak. It's personal isn't it?"

Naruto grit his teeth at the elders words. That was more than enough of an answer for Hanzo.

"Good shinobi aren't supposed to feel such hatred." Hanzo told him evenly. Naruto almost snapped.

"Good shinobi?! Fuck good shinobi! You know what I-" He stopped himself when he saw an amused smile on Hanzo's face. If he continued his rant, Naruto would have revealed what kind of "good shinobi" he met last night.

"You're an interesting one Naruto-kun. I know I asked you if you planned on harming the girls, but I can't see you ever doing that. The way you interact with them, it's too real. That's why I'm so intrigued by your presence." Hanzo began speaking as he took in the Kurama enhanced face of Naruto.

"How the hell do you know so much?" Naruto asked him wearily.

"I've been around for a long time boy. I have contacts everywhere, and I mean _everywhere_."

Naruto didn't need to ask what he meant by that. They both knew.

"Naruto. As a shinobi, what's your goal?" Hanzo asked him simply, not labeling the term 'shinobi'.

"To protect. I promised someone I'd protect the people I care about. That's it." Naruto told him with nothing short of pure determination.

"Not a bad goal to have. Do you think evil shinobi follow that mindset?" Hanzo crossed his arms and stood back.

"Not most of them. No. Neither do some good shinobi." Naruto's rage slowly subsided as he spoke to the man. His red irises faded but the slit pupils remained.

"Exactly. You know, you and I are a rare breed of shinobi. When I was your age, I sacrificed myself to the idea that good was good and evil was evil. Years of experience taught me to open my eyes more and that led me to what I am today. It's amazing that you were able to figure this out at such a young age." Hanzo paused to scratch his long beard in thought. "Whatever you're planning to do with that gang leader, is that meant to protect others?" He was extremely curious.

"Revenge."

One word.

"I see." Despite all the positives the boy held, he wasn't perfect. "That doesn't seem like a effective motive for good shinobi." He saw Naruto open his mouth angrily and chuckled. "However, do you admit that's not the best path to take?" Hanzo questioned him.

"It isn't." Naruto told him in a heartbeat. He's talked about that countless times with Hikage and Haruka.

"And that's where you differ from other evil shinobi." Hanzo dropped the ball and Naruto rose to his feet. "Settle down boy, I don't intend to do anything."

"Why? You're a legendary shinobi, one of the best. Seeing as you somehow know everything about me, why do you allow me to sit here with your granddaughter?" Naruto was ready to attack in an instant.

"Because Naruto Uzumaki, you are like nothing I've ever seen before. For someone to be able to walk both paths of life and remain the way you are, it's no small feat. I don't know _everything_ about you, far from it actually. While I may know your true affiliation, I don't know of your mission. Hanzo Academy may be named after me, but corruption tainted it long ago. Good shinobi aren't what they are made out to be." Naruto couldn't agree more. "Although, those girls, they certainly seem promising. Don't they?" Hanzo smiled at the blond shinobi.

"Yeah... they are great." Naruto couldn't deny that. The Hanzo girls were a group of genuinely good people.

"Listen kid, living a double life is going to catch up to you. It's going to cause a lot of trouble and drama." Hanzo walked behind his sushi bar and began picking up any discarded dishes.

"Tell me something I don't know..." Naruto mumbled to himself.

"Maybe you'll be the one to change the shinobi we have around here. After all, it'll be interesting to see how the system runs if someone who sees both sides of the same coin is behind it." Hanzo followed the boy with his eyes as he headed towards the exit.

"My goal isn't that wide spread old man. I just want to protect the people I love." Naruto put his hand on the door to leave. Hanzo knew that for an evil shinobi to even mention the word love meant that this boy was different.

"Daybreak certainly means something to you Naruto-kun. I can see your reason for this revenge runs deep. Promise me one thing, from one shinobi to another. You'll protect them right?" Naruto pushed the door open to leave the sushi restaurant finally.

"Obviously... old perv..."

Hanzo grinned as the door shut with a slam.

"You're a good kid Naruto. It's a shame you got caught up between two sides." Hanzo did believe one thing though. Naruto will make it out of this mess and the world will be better off as a result.

Something about Naruto made Hanzo want to bet on him.

* * *

Against his better judgment, Naruto didn't contact Hikage to notify her of the gang they were going to clear out. It was wrong and he expected to get a lot of backlash from his love, but it was necessary for the time being.

'Kurama, your summoning scroll is back in my room at Hebijo.' Naruto pat his pocket to make sure he at least had his transformation scroll. He didn't plan on any fighting today, hence why he was a bit unprepared.

'**That's fine. I can support you just as easily from in here.' **Kurama was still rather quiet after his conversation with Hanzo. Naruto let his eyes trail along the grave before him.

The one belonging to Hinata.

"I'm back..." He whispered softly, almost expected a response from her.

The clearing behind their home was peaceful. It didn't fit his mother's personality at all. Hinata was brash, loud, crude and those traits completely betrayed her general appearance.

"Some bastard took over your gang Kaa-chan, I'm going to make them pay." He clenched his fists tightly. His anger spiked just thinking about it. Breathing in and out to calm himself, he let his eyes drop to the locket on his chest. The one containing the picture of him and Hikage.

"If it's him... that man... I will avenge you. I can't ever feel safe knowing he's out there and can find Hebi-chan if he remembers her being there that night. I promised you, didn't I Kaa-chan?" He gripped the locket tightly as his eyes hardened. "I'll protect her. Till the day I die." Closing his eyes, he offered a silent prayer to the woman that changed his life.

"I always said I wanted to take over your gang Kaa-chan... but it looks like I'll have to stop it here." That bothered him. He knew it was for the better, even if destroying what Hinata created made him sick.

"I wish you were still here ya know? You're missing so much." He started to chuckle lightly. "You'd probably kill me if you saw I had two girlfriends. Hah! Kaa-chan you didn't even have one boyfriend! Haruka-chan is pretty amazing though too."

Kurama sat in silence as the bijuu listened to Naruto talk to the grave for a few more minutes. Naruto tried cramming as much of his recent life into this conversation.

'**The suns going down... time to move Naruto.' **Kurama reminded him quietly.

'Right. Thanks Kurama.'

"Well... please continue to watch over us Kaa-chan. I love you." With those parting words, he fled the clearing.

The wind gently blew over the single grave containing the one woman Naruto looked up to the most.

* * *

The sun setting painted the streets in a beautiful orange glow, making somewhere as notorious as the red light district have its own semblance of tranquility. The team of Hanzo shinobi stood on top of a high rooftop that overlooked the emptying streets.

"Katsuragi-san? Has Naruto-san informed you of his location?" Ikaruga asked her fellow shinobi. In her years of knowing Hanzo Academy's resident pervert, she's rarely seen her this serious.

"No." Katsuragi looked over the edge of the building and tried to spot the whiskered blond. "You don't think he's not going to show up right?" The mission didn't seem too complicated, but she felt better knowing Naruto would be with them.

"Katsu-nee, Naruto-kun will show up." Asuka reassured her calmly. Yagyū nodded her head in support of the statement.

"It seemed that he has a history with this gang. He'll be here." Yagyū's top priority in this mission was to look after Hibari. The usual loud and excited girl appeared nervous to her team.

Hibari didn't want to speak out about her own fears of taking on a evil shinobi. None of them have encountered one and their overall combat experience wasn't on the scale of someone like Kiriya-sensei. She only hoped her training from her family could help her through this.

"You saw him in there, something's up with this Daybreak shit." Katsuragi rubbed at the back of her neck, displaying a nervous tick that made Ikaruga observe her movements a bit more thoroughly.

'How odd. Naruto-san does the same thing whenever confronted about his behavior.' The two blondes had quite an effect on each other in her eyes. Katsuragi suddenly shook her head fiercely and pounded a fist into her own palm.

"It doesn't matter! We are going to go in there, kick some shinobi ass and then I'll call in one of my favors from that cutie." Katsuragi shouted out to her team.

"Katsu-nee, it's not going to be anything inappropriate right?" Asuka asked her uneasily. Katsuragi turned to her with a surprisingly tame smile.

"Actually-"

"I'm here."

Naruto dropped down in the middle of them with his transformed outfit. The outfit and cloak fit him well, and his snake locket caught Katsuragi's gaze.

"You... already used your _Shinobi Tenshin_?" Ikaruga asked him in confusion.

"I'm finishing this fast. There's no time to play around." Naruto tightened the headband secured on his forehead. These clothes made him feel more comfortable than anything else.

"Don't forget we are a team Naruto-san. Rushing off on your own is not wise." Ikaruga was planning to continue her lecture before she saw him turn to her.

"I know. Don't worry, I have a goal." Naruto told her calmly.

"A goal?" Hibari was the one to speak up. Naruto only looked over the edge of the building to pinpoint the hideout.

"Which one is it?" Naruto questioned the unofficial team leader.

"That building there." Ikaruga pointed at large three story run down complex. "We've watched it for some time now and nobody has entered or exited. I propose we enter undetected and try to find the location of the leader. Perhaps the gang will stand down if he is captured."

"Stealth won't work with six of us unless we leave people behind. No technique will keep everyone hidden for enough time." Naruto could use his _Henge no Jutsu _and enter that way, if only he was thinking of going down that route. Rather he wanted to storm the place and tear it down. Let the gang rest with his mother.

"Loud and proud then, I like it." Katsuragi never preferred stealth, her weapon of choice made more than enough noise to give away her location. "Should we split up by floor?" That seemed to be the best strategy in her eyes.

"In my opinion, we can go in groups of two." Yagyū was already planning on protecting Hibari.

"I don't mind that." Katsuragi shrugged at her teammate. "Ikaruga-chan?" She noticed the black haired girl focusing on the building.

"I suppose that'd be for the best." Ikaruga agreed with that course of action. "If one group encounters the leader, we need to converge on that location. A six on one fight is hardly fair, but an evil shinobi deserves no mercy." Naruto frowned at Ikaruga's words and continued to stare at the building.

He fully planned to use his clones to flood the building. The drawback of having so many dispelling at once didn't matter to him in the moment.

'**If you continue to let revenge cloud your vision, I will take over your body Naruto. For your own safety.' **Kurama meant it, and Naruto had no doubt the bijuu would try it.

A hand touched his upper arm and Naruto turned his face to see Asuka. The granddaughter of Hanzo was frowning at him sadly.

"Naruto-kun, I don't know what this means to you, but I swear... we will get through it together. I'll be this teams sword!" Asuka face was the definition of determination and Naruto's flat visage cracked a smile.

"You're cute Asuka-chan." He was rewarded with the girl looking away with a small blush. Standing up straight, he looked at the group of Hanzo shinobi. For a second he saw his own Hebijo team instead of them, the similarities were truly remarkable now. "You'll all get out of this safe. I promise." At that reassurance, the girls all felt a sense of security and trust in the boy.

"Hey Naru-kun, after this mission I have to talk to you." Katsuragi's eyes kept following the snake locket on his chest. Naruto rose and eyebrow at her before nodding and signaling Ikaruga.

"Let us begin everyone." At the third years confirmation they shot off the rooftop and rushed down the gang hideout.

"What're the groups?" Naruto asked as they approached the location.

"Yagyū and Hibari will take the top floor. Naruto and Asuka on the second. Katsuragi and I will clear the first floor." Ikaruga informed them of their role. "Should a group need backup, retreat to the floor below or above. Although, Kiriya-sensei said there is only one trained shinobi here. Untrained members should be a non-factor. Aim for knocking them unconscious unless the situation calls for it." Ikaruga finished her briefing as they stood in front of the large building. Stealth was going out the window here.

'If it's him, there's no way I'll leave it at knocking him unconscious.' Naruto grabbed his trench knives in a white knuckled grip.

"Are we throwing up a _Shinobi Kekkai_." Katsuragi didn't want any outsiders getting involved after all.

"I'll do it. Once it's erected, move out. Go through the windows and clear the floors." Ikaruga reached into her shirt and retrieved her own scroll. Naruto watched calmly as a bright light covered her naked form. He wasn't in the mindset to care about that.

A few seconds later, Ikaruga produced the faint, almost transparent purple barrier around the building. Naruto hated these things with a passion and swore by never using them. Even if that caused potential problems considering how freely he threw out his and Kurama's chakra.

"Move out!"

The Hanzo team began their siege on the hideout.

Within the large basement of the building, a bulky man stood up when he felt the signs of a barrier. His lone eye portrayed no emotion as he cracked his neck.

"It seems some shinobi have come to play."

Two bright silver blades began gleaming in the damp and dim basement.

* * *

Naruto crashed through the second floor window with Asuka following right on his heels. At the sound of broken glass, he heard doors begin to open and slam. Shouts of alarm from men and women sounded out through the hallways.

"Naruto-kun? What's the plan?" Asuka was transformed now as well, holding her two blades in a tight grip. Naruto glanced at her before raising his hands in a crossed symbol.

'**I assume since Hanzo knows... you are going to cut loose a little bit.' **Kurama knew Naruto withheld his ninjutsu around the Hanzo team. Not to mention, the small gift that the shinobi transformation granted him. Naruto pulsed his chakra, to the point where it was visible.

"_Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" _He shouted the technique out loudly and for a second nothing happened.

"Naru...to...?" Asuka almost dropped her blades when plumes of smoke appeared before her. Many, many copies of Naruto appeared in the tight hallway and she only barely noticed a bunch of people wearing red and black rushing their position.

"Asuka. Take out whoever gets in your way. Clear the floor." Naruto's clones all barreled towards the incoming gang members. Asuka heard gun fire and screaming before she got her wits about her. Steeling her emotions and squashing any of her nerves down, she knew it was time to be the sword she mentioned before.

Seeing Naruto's clones holding down one side of the long hallway, Asuka rushed the opposite end. Vicious curses and yells were directed at her as various members of the gang rushed her position. Knives were flung at her with no real precision and she skated around those due to the intense training Kiriya-sensei put them through. Blitzing through the shocked gang members, Asuka crossed her arms in front of her chest, bringing the dual blades close to her. Leaning forward, she threw her body ahead and with one quick stroke, she lashed her swords out. A green light poured off of the gleaming steel as she dashed past her opponents.

Cries of pain and anger were heard as she sliced past anyone in her path. She looked back and witnessed some knocked cleanly onto the floor while others stood shakily in their ripped outfits.

"You got this... you got this!" She hyped herself up while still looking at the approaching criminals. They were pouring out of rooms and it almost seemed endless.

"_Daitoppa!" _Asuka heard Naruto's shout and briefly sought him out among the mess of clones and bodies. His trench knives were held close to his body as a white aura gathered around them. A second later, the howl of a strong wind broke through the building and previous undisturbed windows were now destroyed pitifully.

Naruto savagely threw the knives outwards and the wind surged forward, this was one of the best things he's gained from his shinobi scroll. Kurama did his best to kick start his chakra nature training but he hit a bit of a roadblock. However, whenever his mysterious scroll allowed him to transform, utilizing wind to any degree became easier.

The great breakthrough of pressurized wind cut through anything in its path, gang member and clone alike. Ignoring the dispelling that he caused, Naruto continued to dash through person after person. It wouldn't be long before he summoned more clones to take over the rest of the floors.

He tried to not focus on the fact that these people wore the same colors, the same style of clothing, that his mother picked out. He wasn't deterred as he cut them down.

Kurama was slightly uneasy over how easy Naruto was attacking these people. Yes, they were criminals and they were apparently far worse than anything Hinata used to lead, but they weren't shinobi. Naruto was leaving them with bloody gashes and who knows what else. The bijuu didn't care about brutality, it's eaten people before, rather the person causing said brutal actions was what left it on the edge.

Asuka dodged another set of weak knife throws and poorly aimed gun shots before knocking some people over the head with the hilt of her blades. The collapsed bodies and blood she saw from Naruto's direction was actually unnerving. She tried to focus on the mission and not the usual sweet and funny boy tearing his way through the floor.

"ASUKA! I'm moving on ahead!" Naruto punched a approaching member in the jaw with the brass knuckle part of his knives. He only partly saw the girl open her mouth before he ascended the stairs, he wanted to help Yagyū and Hibari first. The eye patch shinobi was apparently somewhat of a prodigy, but he knew they may need more help than Katsuragi and Ikaruga.

Asuka almost pouted when she realized she was left behind. She crossed her blades again, looking at the absurd amount of people that were able to fill up this building... and they... were still coming!

"Oh come on!"

Hanzo's granddaughter threw herself into the fray once more.

Meanwhile, the first floor was filled with a lot of the same action, although there were a lot more broken walls and doors.

Katsuragi kicked through another door and smirked as her boots came into contact with a woman carrying a large knife. She was sent flying back into the room with a loud slam.

"Not much of a challenge, eh Ikaruga-chan?" Katsuragi craned her neck towards the direction of her teammate and deadpanned at the sight of her only using the sheathe of her sword to combat the gang.

"You are being quite brutal Katsuragi-san! Don't forget, killing these people is not the priority!" Ikaruga danced around a large group of knife wielders with her sheathed weapon.

"Blah! They are criminals trying to kill us! I'm not just gonna take it!" Katsuragi lifted her leg, obviously flashing her panties to any onlookers, and kicked forward to break down another wall. Unsurprisingly, more people poured out of the hole in the wall. "They are like roaches!" Seriously, this was ridiculous!

"We are good shinobi!" Ikaruga ducked low and jabbed the sheathe into a unprotected abdomen. "Killing should never be at the front of our minds if the mission doesn't call for it!" She continued to yell back at the blonde girl as she fought. Katsuragi was about to respond when another loud howl of wind ripped through the building.

"Jeez... who the hell is doing that?! You think they found the leader?" Katsuragi questioned while kicking at the awfully prepared gang members.

"I'm not sure, there's not much information we are going off of here." Ikaruga was slightly hopeful that the noise wasn't coming from an enemy. It sounded quite powerful if it could pierce through the building that fiercely.

Katsuragi looked thoughtful, thinking over the girls abilities. None of them possessed anything attached to wind, unless you counted Hibari's strange bunny summon. That only left one person.

"Naruto." She chuckled out loud. He was something else. She couldn't wait to cash in on that favor.

Naruto felt a shiver go down his spine as he ran through multiple men on the stairwell. It only took him a few seconds to reach the third floor. He blinked when he saw a angry pink bunny riding... a cloud? Shaking off the bewilderment, he pulled up more chakra and channeled it in a instant.

Yagyū blocked more gun fire with her weapon, which happened to be a large red umbrella as the sound of popping caught her ear. It was quite loud and drew her attention away from the enemy. Her eye widened at the copies of Naruto that wasted no time in taking down any stragglers. Initially she was worried about Hibari's safety, but upon fighting these gang members she realized even a beginner shinobi can take them down. Still, it didn't hurt to be wary of gun fire and knives, they could be harmed despite the strong durability that shinobi transformation gave them. They were human after all.

Hibari smacked away anyone in her path with a unique style of fighting. It was more akin to a child shaking their fists angrily at someone. The hand to hand attacks wouldn't be dangerous, even with her transformation, if it weren't for the yellow electricity brimming around her fists and body. She paused when noticing a couple Naruto's fly over her head.

"Woah~" Her face broke into a huge smile. "So many Naruto-kun's! He's so strong!"

When she heard it, Yagyū did not appreciate the compliment towards the boy.

'Anything Kurama?' Naruto wasn't focusing much as he parried a few knives lazily.

'**Sensing specific emotions is impossible here. There's got to be hundreds of people in this building.'**

Naruto cursed under his breath and continued to take out any opposition. His mother would be disappointed. These people couldn't hold a candle to her.

"Yagyū! Hibari! Come with me!" Naruto shouted at the shinobi as his clones took over their fighting. Yagyū didn't like being ordered around, especially when he wasn't leader here, but the look in his eyes was too much for her.

What were once bright blue eyes were flicking between red periodically.

"Come on Yagyū-chan! Let's go help the others!" Hibari pulled her hand and ran through the mess of clones and bodies.

Naruto noticed them entering the stairwell and decided to go pick up Asuka.

Reentering the second floor, he noticed a pouting Asuka staring at his clones that began to steadily dispel. He ignored the small headache coming on from the strain.

"Asuka. We are going to the first floor. There's no sign of the leader yet." Naruto's words were clipped and Asuka was going to complain about being left behind before shaking her head. Now wasn't the time for that.

The building was becoming quieter as more gang members were taken down. Naruto kicked open the door on the stairwell that led to the first floor with all his strength.

'**Save that aggression for the leader.' **Kurama muttered in annoyance.

"Hey! That almost hit me! Who the... Naruto! It was you!" Katsuragi yelled as she got as close as possible to him. That door went sailing right past her and if it weren't for her quick reflexes, it would have smacked into her.

"Sorry..." Naruto told her quietly. He did his best to calm himself down, though nothing was working. Seeing the same colored clothing HE wore for years and his mother created wasn't helping.

"That's three." Katsuragi told him while crossing her arms beneath her large breasts.

"Three?" He was confused now. She held up three fingers in front of his eyes.

"Three favors! Better catch up Naru-kun! I'm gonna have you eating out of the palm of my hand soon." She started giggling to herself.

"Focus on the mission Katsuragi-san." Ikaruga strolled up to them and not a single scratch was seen on her clothing. "I'm guessing the other floors are cleared?" She turned to the newcomers.

Naruto closed his eyes and felt a few clones dispel. "There's a few more still up." Slit pupils stared back at Ikaruga. She did her best to hold his gaze.

"Well... I captured one." Ikaruga gestured to the area behind her. "I was thinking we could question them about their leader." Naruto looked shocked before running past the girl and reaching a struggling gang member secured in shinobi wire.

"Get this shit off of me dammit!" The man cursed angrily before noticing a shadow above him.

"Who is your leader?" Naruto kept his voice calm despite his emotional state. The gang member who was desecrating Hinata's legacy glared at the shinobi.

"Go to hell you piece of shit. You aren't getting anything out of me."

Naruto closed his eyes.

"Where is your leader?" The Hanzo team approached him as he stood in front the struggling man.

"Like I said! Go to hell you fucking bastard. Let me out of this wire and I'll kick your ass!" The man continued to yell.

Naruto was reminded of the interrogation he attempted with his Hebijo team. He was stopped by a phone call and the parameters of the mission. That won't be happening here.

"Once boss and his partners see you all, you're finished! You'll die first you bastard. He'll keep your little girls around, don't you worry! We can all have fun." The Hanzo girls looked disgusted at the bloody grin on the man's face.

Naruto held a palm up to the man. Familiar chakra poured into his hand and the wind rushed through the building. Ikaruga and Katsuragi were shocked at the energy he was holding. The feeling of that, it was unnatural. They've never heard Kiriya mention anything close to this.

"This _Rasengan _will rip you into shreds. I'll grind this so deep into your body that nothing will remain for your boss to find." Naruto's eyes opened and the man shivered at the dilating pupils. "I'll give you one more chance." A grin that was an exact replica of Kurama's appeared on his face when the man didn't give him what he wanted. "By the way, this isn't even complete!" Naruto's chakra flared and the girls covered their faces form the intense wind picking up. Asuka tried pulling her skirt down from the draft but she was so enamored with the scene before her that it was impossible.

The gang member began to whimper as that mass of energy was held close to his face. He wasn't a shinobi, he didn't know they were capable of something like this! If what the bastard was saying was true, he was going to die here. Was it worth it? Hell no.

"H-H-He's down in the basement! The basement! He's a shinobi, nobody knows his name! We call him B-boss! Please that's all I know! Don't kill me!" The chakra dissipated in a flash and Naruto smiled gently at the man.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Naruto crouched to get even closer to him. "Thank you so much!" He patted the man on the shoulder. The gang member was shaking in fear despite his previous insults. "But wait... you mentioned that you wanted to have fun with these 'little girls', is that right?" Naruto kept his fake smile up.

"N-No I didn't mean-"

'**It's not worth it. You'll make the girls fear you even more.' **Kurama spoke up.

Naruto's wind coated trench knife stopped before he could commit to the action.

A large metal boot impacted with the side of the man's head, rendering him unconscious. Naruto turned his head and took in the expression on each girls face.

'Too late for that Kurama.'

"I think we should check the basement." Ikaruga chose to be the voice of reason after getting her breathing under control.

"Y-Yeah..." Asuka managed to squeak out.

Katsuragi watched Naruto the entire time, keeping quiet.

Hibari hid behind Yagyū and her teammate tensed her body protectively.

"I told you all." Naruto spoke to them in a deeper tone than his usual voice. "None of you will be harmed here." He walked away after securing his knives on his waist. He needed to find the way to the basement.

The girls watch him disappear around a corner and Hibari nervously whispered.

"Naruto-kun is... very scary." It wasn't inaccurate and even Asuka could agree that was 'scary'.

"Hibari. He promised us remember?" Katsuragi faced her team. "He wants to protect us. You heard what that bastard said." She looked down at the unconscious man in disgust.

"His eyes... and voice..." Not to mention his darkened whiskers and sharp teeth. Hibari was reasonably shaken.

"Naruto-san has a lot of secrets, as we all do. However, we are his teammates, it's our duty to respect that and support each other in times like this." Ikaruga cut in.

"It's this way!" They heard the shout from the opposite end of the first floor. Nodding to each other, they were ready to get this mission over with.

'I think I know what I'll use my favors on...'

Katsuragi hated puzzles unlike Ikaruga. She hated thinking most of the time. The girl would much rather kick her way through life. Naruto was a puzzle. A puzzle she was slowly becoming obsessed with figuring out. She also needed to know why that weird locket around his neck made her chest tighten painfully. They approached him at the small set of stairs leading to a darkened door.

"I'm going in first." He didn't wait for anyone's response

It was time. Naruto could barely contain himself.

'Kurama, if I lose it in there... make sure they don't get hurt.'

The bijuu sat up in the seal, detecting overwhelming hate permeating from that basement.

Kurama never felt pity towards many creatures. In this case though, it hoped for that shinobi's sake that it wasn't the man who killed Hinata. Naruto was going to rip him apart. With or without chakra.

* * *

Leading this gang was a joke to the man. After taking care of the previous trash that created this gang of misfits, he transformed it into something more serious. Despite losing half of his vision, he was never more content with receiving instructions to kill that woman. He sat in the darkened and spacious basement, waiting for the shinobi to come to him.

The noise and pressure he felt from upstairs was truly outstanding, suffocating even, he figured they must be something special. He felt honored.

"Stay in the shadows. I shouldn't need your help with this." He instructed two figures behind him and they wordlessly followed his order, hiding within the large basement.

Hotaru ran a hand over the plain eye patch on his face. He'll never forget that demonic child that took his sight. The boy crying out for his pathetic mother before attacking him like an animal. What was that woman's name... Hinata. He promised her he'd pay her children a little house call. Years of building up her pathetic organization and merging it with his own prevented him from doing so. Taking the namesake was also a way to spit on whatever legacy she felt she had, even from the grave.

'That little demon may have gotten through to me in the past... but it's different now.' He thought with a dark smile. His silver blades almost seemed to vibrate in his grip. Training after losing something as precious as sight was a challenge, luckily he had a bit of help and _enhancements _along the way.

He leaned back into the shadows as the large door leading to the basement cracked open. He hoped these shinobi were as entertaining as the power they were throwing around upstairs. The gang members being defeated meant nothing to him. He only used them as fodder. Mere human shields. He was the apex predator here. A true shinobi.

Naruto forced the door open and expected at least an attack to be heading his way. All he saw was a dimly lit basement. Desks and papers were all over the place, and a small training area sat at one end. The Hanzo team followed in soon after, grouping up together.

"Spread out and search." Naruto took the charge here and went to move forward. He held an arm out to hold the girls back when a small silver kunai landed at his feet.

Very slow clapping echoed around the basement walls.

"I cannot believe what walked into my den. Years... years... years! Years I've waited and built something from this whores legacy. I thought I'd have to find you _boy, _but in the end you came to me." Naruto froze when hearing the voice, how could he forget it.

Every shinobi watched a gigantic muscled man stepped into the light. Pitch black hair sat upon his head and the poor lighting strained against the amount of muscle on the man's body. The eye patch on his face told everyone he was injured previously but judging by his stance, he worked past the handicap. His clothing was similar to the garments worn by the gang members, though his body type stretched the cloth to the extreme. Two pure silver blades glinted dangerously in his hands.

"I see you brought some help. I felt that power being used upstairs, I could never forget that feeling. The genuine fear... the struggle to escape that night. I don't think I've ever felt more alive!" Hotaru almost yelled madly.

"Who is this guy...?" Asuka questioned to her group. 'He knows Naruto...' That much was obvious. They all brought up whatever weapon they had on them, ready to team up on this evil shinobi. Naruto didn't move a muscle.

"To think... all it took was to kill that bitch. Ah! I remember how she cried. Cried for her little family. Let me tell you something, that was my proudest kill."

Naruto's body began trembling in rage unlike anything he's felt before. The many times he's brought upon Kurama's chakra, it was never this strong. The burning in his navel was becoming painful. The Hanzo team appeared very disturbed at the evil shinobi's words, they were all starting to put together why Naruto was enraged.

"Hinata... Hinata. What a shame... she would have made a good little toy for my gang you know?" Hotaru was grinning at the shaking shinobi before him. "Now that I remember..."

Red chakra started bubbling around Naruto.

"That green haired girl you were with... my subordinates mentioned her as well. I'm curious as to how she's grown. If she's anything like her whore of a mother, well, I guess I have a new plan in mind."

'Green haired girl?' Katsuragi felt sick at the topic of conversation but that description stuck with her.

Naruto's teeth were audibly grinding against each other. A piercing screech started wailing throughout the room. All coming from his overwhelming chakra.

"Don't you worry. I'll take care of everyone you love, you little monster." Hotaru brought his blades up to his chest.

Naruto moved in a flash.

The rush of wind was enough to shock almost every occupant of the room. Even the hidden ones.

Three tails of pure chakra swayed behind the blond.

"Let's have a little fun before I put you down..." Hotaru was prepared for this, he spent years preparing.

Naruto's trench knives clashed against those silver blades with no restraint.

Then all hell broke loose in that basement.

* * *

**A/N - Oh hey look plot progression and an update. **What's up peeps, it's been way too long, and I know I suck for that considering how consistent I used to be. Unfortunately, I've been going through too much shit in the past couple months to spend any time writing. I hope you understand that life takes priority first, even if I love writing. Anyway, the story! Yeah no, I'm not abandoning it ever. It is my baby. Thank you very much.

Originally when I wanted to start writing this chapter I wanted to keep it light and "fillery" but figured fuck it, I need to move on. And that's what we have here. It's only gonna move forward from this point.

"Why's Hotaru, an OC, able to block anything from three tailed Naruto?!" - Good question. I'm making him a fair bit stronger after Naruto took his eye and that's for a reason. He's not surviving the encounter obviously. Sorry for the spoiler. Three tails is way more than he can handle.

"Why'd Naruto get so pissed and emotional this chapter?!" - Big focus of this story is emotions and if you remember the beginning of Shippuden, my man's Naruto was getting emotional every 5 seconds. Hinata dying here and his revenge + all the shit weighing him down from the schools caused this. Kurama is trying to keep him calm, what a bro.

Hanzo knows of his affiliation, not his mission. Regardless, Hanzo isn't someone who will try to attack Naruto without information. Despite being a "evil shinobi" he sees what kind of person he is and that's what matters to the man.

Sorry to everyone I haven't been answering and all that. My interaction with you guys has been awful. When I get overwhelmed like I have been the past couple months, I kinda shut a lot of things out, social media and my phone/pc was one of those things.

Review and let me know what you think :) I missed you guys. Hope you all had a great holiday season and happy new year!

Hikage is still best girl. New Senran Kagura game when for gods sake?!


	18. Crimson Revenge

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

Katsuragi could count on one hand the amount of times she's felt genuine fear. Being left behind by her parents and forced to survive on her own was terrifying, but she never gave up. She always aimed to persevere and move forward. For the most part, it's worked out.

The suffocating air in the basement was enough to make her feel unparalleled dread. The red energy produced a suffocating aura.

Watching Naruto, the boy she could honestly say she related to more than anybody, turn into something like this was horrifying. He promised to protect them at any cost today, and she wondered how far he would go. The blood red energy flailing, the darkened visage and overall feral appearance left her more than a little concerned. The rogue evil shinobi was the root cause of Naruto's rage and Katsuragi felt a _very_ tiny amount of pity for the man.

She knew Naruto would stop at nothing to kill him.

There was nothing the group of Hanzo girls could do as they stood frozen at the sight of Naruto clashing blades with Hotaru.

The Jinchūriki scowled at his trench knives not cutting cleanly through the gleaming silver blades in Hotaru's grip. He didn't understand how the man could put up a defense like this, but he knew it wouldn't last for much longer. Naruto began to pump more chakra into the trench knives. Everything was being enhanced due to the three tails of chakra behind him.

Hotaru's arms shook under the intense pressure of a three tailed Naruto. All that muscle and power built into his body was not enough to hold back the boy. After only a scant second of clashing weapons, he felt his blades give way. Much to Naruto's confusion, he started to grin, a disgusting stretching of his face.

His blades vibrated against the knives and Naruto paid it little mind.

Hinata's killer widened his lone eye when the boy let out an enraged shout and the energy swirling around him shifted. As if it had a mind of its own, the red bubbling aura formed a gigantic fist that was more than capable of crushing a regular person's skull.

Naruto slammed the makeshift fist right onto the man and thought he landed a hit on the shinobi.

'**He's behind you!' **Kurama growled out.

Naruto pivoted with ease and slashed out with his knives, aiming for a fatal blow.

Hotaru's body moved just barely to avoid the swipe as his blades seemed to vibrate once more.

Demonic eyes darkened at the missed attack.

Hotaru put some distance between himself and the enraged shinobi. He felt some pain in his right arm and burnt flesh was revealed through his ripped sleeve.

'His energy, it's corrosive. If I go for the kill, I have to ensure it will connect. I planned to play with the demon for a little while, but I can't afford to die here.' He turned his attention to the group of frozen girls. 'They could pose a problem too. A six on one isn't favorable odds. Even with my enhancements...' Fortunately, he had some help in the shadows if the girls stepped in during his fight.

Naruto shot forward again, shattering the ground he previously stood on. His trench knives gleamed with a menacing red. Hotaru pushed his body to the limit in order to duck under a strike meant to separate his head from his shoulders. He grit his teeth as he realized the only thing he can do was dodge and throw the boy off marginally.

The silver blades vibrated again.

Naruto clung to a wall with his chakra after the wild slash missed, staring at the man who was keen on dodging instead of fighting back.

"What's the matter boy? I thought you were going to kill me. You can't even hit me! Ah... what a shame. If only Hinata could see her precious child now. Believe me, I would have loved to keep her alive. Her body was second to none, she was the talk of the criminal syndicate." The disrespectful words were delivered with purpose on Hotaru's end.

'**If you end up using a fourth tail, I can't guarantee the girls wouldn't get caught up in the destruction. Focus on taking him out Naruto. His meaningless words won't matter when he's buried beneath the dirt.' **Kurama spoke to its container.

"Naruto!" A shout coming from Katsuragi caught him off guard and stole his attention. Then he felt a hard kick impact with his side, uncaring of the chakra cloak. Naruto shot off the wall and landed on the opposite side of the room.

Hotaru's face was riddled with pain as he looked to the confused boy. His right leg was burnt just like his arm, he justified it as a worthy sacrifice. The boy wasn't indestructible. That made him feel more confident. He just had to keep throwing him off using his skill set.

'Kurama. Genjutsu?' Naruto questioned the bijuu. He was staring directly at the man and didn't sense any movement. How did he get past him?

'**... I can't be sure what this is but your chakra isn't being disrupted by anyone else. You need to keep him in your sight.'**

Naruto rubbed his side, a portion of his shirt and coat were the only causality from that attack. Kurama's chakra did wonders for healing him.

"Ikaruga did you see that?" Katsuragi whispered to her teammate. Ikaruga turned to her with an analytical stare.

"Naruto-san... he is just barely missing his attacks. Not to mention the rogue shinobi disappeared before our eyes." The Hanzo girls were shaken up but they still focused on the fight intently.

"... An illusion." Yagyū declared quietly.

"I-Illusions?" Hibari questioned with a stutter. The girl was very nervous at the time being. No one could blame her.

"Yes. That's the probable cause. He doesn't look like the type considering his body but he is certainly using something to disrupt Naruto-san." Ikaruga explained to the group.

Katsuragi focused on every little aspect of the gigantic man Naruto was up against. Her eyes widened at the blades in his hands that were swaying in the dull light. Were they... vibrating?

"Come on demon! I'm waiting." Hotaru spread his injured arms out and yelled arrogantly. He briefly glanced at a corner of the room and nodded a single time.

Naruto gave him what he wanted. The blond shinobi vanished and reappeared behind the rogue with his knives raised above him. Hotaru rose his own vibrating weapon up in a flash. Right before the blades could clash, Naruto stopped. In that brief moment, Hotaru furrowed his brow and something similar to a cracking whip filled his ear.

His body was swatted away in an instant by the large red chakra covering the boy. He screamed in pain as he felt his shoulder shatter once he crashed through the basement walls.

"H-He baited me into..." Hotaru couldn't even continue muttering to himself as Naruto descended on his location. With a great amount of effort, Hotaru still held onto his weapon through sheer will and the silver blades vibrated in place.

Naruto's trench knives stuck into the crumbled wall directly next to the man.

'I missed?'

Hotaru extended his good arm and sent the shaking blade towards Naruto. The whiskered shinobi tried dodging, easily seeing the blade before he felt something rip into his side.

"Heh...hehe..." Hotaru chuckled maliciously and put some distance between him and Naruto. One of his silver weapons dripped blood onto the ground. He knew for a fact that his blades wouldn't survive a clash against this demon. The corrosive energy was even able to affect his weapon.

Naruto hissed in pain at the long cut to his lower abdomen. His mind going into overdrive thinking about how he could have missed both his attack and dodging the obvious strike.

'I saw it coming. I even moved in time. This makes no sense.' Naruto became tempted to blow him away using some more of his destructive techniques, but the rational part of his mind knew the Hanzo girls could be harmed. Not to mention, he did want Hotaru to suffer.

Though, if he was just like other evil shinobi the Hanzo teams safety wouldn't be a problem. He would have gladly sacrificed the girls for his own cause. Naruto's red eyes flickered to Katsuragi's for a moment. Green met red and he knew he had to play this smart.

Steam covered his wound as a way of showing Kurama's chakra began healing the wound.

'**If you had one more tail out, that pathetic weapon wouldn't even be able to penetrate the cloak. My chakra protects and heals you like this Naruto, but a fatal blow can still cause problems.' **Kurama reminded him not to recklessly take too many slashes. He was not immortal after all.

"He's an illusion user Naruto!"

Naruto looked surprised at Katsuragi's information that she shouted his way. Illusions?

Hotaru snapped his head in her direction and snarled. The nerve of that girl to expose his technique to the demon. Maybe he should have dealt with the extras first... his face lit up. He didn't need help with the boy, however, his subordinates can deal with the others.

"We need to help Naruto-kun." Asuka knew the boy was incredibly strong. Overwhelmingly strong. This fight proved that fighting against shinobi that utilized illusions was a weakness of his.

"Obviously!" Katsuragi tensed her body to jump towards the large man.

The sound of gunfire stopped the Hanzo girls in their tracks. The bullets certainly were not normal based on the size and color. These could genuinely do damage to the young team.

"I'm afraid we can't let you interfere with the boss when he's busy like this." A snarky voice called out to the girls.

"More shinobi?" Ikaruga wondered out loud.

"Trained by the boss himself!" From the darkened corners of the room two people around Katsuragi's age emerged. They were almost perfect opposites of each other. One tall and thin, the other short and overweight. The tall one carried a large club weapon that completely betrayed his image of being rather skinny. The overweight one was armed to the teeth, his body covered by all types of ammo and shrapnel. He held a large machine gun that required both hands to use.

"That freak seems to know all sorts of babes doesn't he Takeshi?"

"Yeah. Once we get finished with these girls and that freak, we really need to find that snake girl. I'm willing to bet she grew up nicely."

"Haha! Michio, her ugly face couldn't have changed though."

"Hmm. I guess bags exist for a reason right?"

The Hanzo girls felt disgusted as the boys continued to prattle on about a girl they didn't even know.

Naruto heard everything.

Hotaru noticed the boy begin to shake in rage and struggled to raise his blade in a crossed shape formation. They vibrated wildly against each other and Naruto felt his head spin momentarily.

Before his eyes, Hotaru seemed to multiply repeatedly. The copies didn't share the same injured shoulder as Hotaru. The rogue evil shinobi started a new round of laughter.

"I never had to use any of this against your mother you know? She wasn't a shinobi, and barely a threat besides some surprising moves. I regret it now though. I could have made her suffer more."

Hotaru's copies raised their blades and pointed them all at the boy. Naruto couldn't even see the Hanzo team anymore, nor could he hear them.

'**They are obviously fake. I can't dispel this technique, it's not like our chakra. The damn shinobi of this world...' **Kurama hated showing any weakness and it seemed illusions would be something they both needed to learn how to resist all over again.

"Clones..." Naruto's face split wide into a savage smile. Fake or not, this man chose to use clones against him of all people.

The illusions all blitzed towards the stationary Jinchūriki.

* * *

"I'll let you pick. Whose ass am I kicking first?!" Katsuragi bounced on the balls of her feet as she glared at the strange duo.

"Katsuragi-san, we need to gather intel before you rush in, please focus and..."

Ikaruga was cut off as the sound of gunfire that fired towards the Hanzo team. Yagyū jumped into action and shielded the two closest to her position, which happened to be Asuka and Hibari. Her large umbrella blocked the onslaught of bullets.

Katsuragi and Ikaruga didn't have the same amount of luck when it came to having a shield. Though they had experience, having been trained for years now. Ikaruga used her impressive dexterity to almost dance around the gunfire, easily tracking the enlarged bullets that were no doubt affected by a shinobi technique. Her blonde teammate grit her teeth and jumped away from the gunfire, her gaze focused on a stationary Naruto and Hotaru. She was confused as to why they seemed to be standing still.

"Nar-!"

"Don't get distracted sexy!" A voice she already hated rang throughout her ears. She turned her head just in time to dodge a gigantic club that tried to cave her skull in. Katsuragi bent low to the ground and attempted to sweep the newcomer off his feet. Her large greaves made contact with something, but it wasn't a leg like she intended.

Her attack connected with the club in the boys grip. 'What the hell was that thing made out of that it didn't even budge?' She questioned internally.

"Impressed? I can show you something much harder than this club though." The smirk on his face made her stomach turn.

"I've never met someone that I hated after just seeing their generic ugly face." Katsuragi was all for sexual taunts or dialogue. Well that wasn't completely right, she only enjoyed that with certain people. Her eyes flickered to her whiskered teammate.

In that split second that she removed her eyes from her opponent, he took the chance to swing the club at her once more. His frail looking arms didn't seem to affect his strength and ability to lift such a large weapon.

Before the dangerous club could even touch Katsuragi, she felt a presence appear right before her. The sound of a blade being unsheathed can barely be heard due to the gunfire.

"I told you to focus Katsuragi." Ikaruga narrowed her eyes at the smirking boy before her. Her ornate blade was holding back the club but not without difficulty on her end. The boys physical strength was quite substantial in her opinion.

"Oh, all of you girls are so beautiful. It's a wonder that the freak from the orphanage is around all of you. Regardless, Takeshi will make quick work of your team over there. I'm Michio by the way, I hope we will be spending a lot more time together." The boy didn't receive a response verbally. Ikaruga's blade began to glow a bright blue and he felt his club being pushed back.

"How interesting! You girls really..."

"Shut the hell up!" Katsuragi got around to his open side in an instant and swung her leg out towards his head, showing off her trained flexibility. Michio widened his eyes and knew the only way to block would be with his club.

Katsuragi smirked.

"You're wide open!" She screamed as her kick hit the weapon again.

"What?"

"_Hien Hõsen!" _Ikaruga's declared loudly. Taking a unique stance, Michio never even saw her sheathe her nodachi in a flash.

"That's my girl..." Katsuragi whispered as she lowered her leg.

Only her teammate briefly saw the quick draw technique that she used. Ikaruga's blade moved at speeds that a weaker shinobi wouldn't even be able to track. Elaborate and calculated slashes struck into her enemy's body. Michio felt every slash against his body and his hold on the club was wavering.

Then with a small click noise reached Michio's ears, over the madness occurring in the room.

'B-But her blade was sheathed!'

He felt his body being put through the wringer as he got blown back to the wall behind him. The club dropped to the ground with a loud slam, showing its hefty weight.

"Michio!" His friend and partner in crime yelled as he continued to fire nonstop on the umbrella covered girls.

Michio wiped the blood that was dripping from his mouth away and began to stand shakily.

"For a whore... that was a good attack!" He insulted Ikaruga who didn't appear to care at all. Michio dusted himself off and hoisted his large club onto his shoulder.

"Just for that stunt, I'll be sure to give you a little extra treatment, _Ikaruga-chan_." The way he said her name made her skin crawl.

"I'm going to kick him in the dick. Multiple times."

"... I will not stop you Katsuragi-san."

Pounding a fist into her palm, Katsuragi stood in front of Ikaruga.

"Back me up and deflect any bullets if that fatty tries anything. I'll take the lead." She was going to kick this perverted loser until he couldn't make any more comments.

"Understood." Ikaruga's eyes were locked onto the opponent.

Then Katsuragi began sprinting, her large boots making more noise than ever before.

Meanwhile, the other Hanzo girls were all feeling differing amounts of frustration.

"We have to do something!" Asuka told her teammates as she held onto her swords tightly.

"If I drop this, he will certainly hit the three of us." Yagyū explained with an annoyed tone. She didn't enjoy being pinned down like this.

Hibari looked between the two girls in silence, contemplating something heavily.

"Well we have no other choice! Ikaruga-chan and Katsu-nee are busy with the other guy. Naruto-kun is dealing with their boss too." Asuka knew they had to handle this.

"... We need to distract him." Yagyū struggled to suggest that.

"I'll do it."

Asuka and Yagyū's turned at Hibari's bold claim. The girl was extremely scared for most of the day, but her pink pupils were shining with determination now.

"I... I feel so useless. Even when we were fighting upstairs, Yagyū-chan had to save me a few times. I can't even help Naruto-kun!" Hibari told her teammates sadly. "So let me be the distraction! I can do it!"

Both girls looked torn on allowing Hibari to risk injury to get an advantage on the enemy, especially Yagyū. Before they can argue with her once more, she grabbed their hands roughly.

"I want to do this."

Since joining the team with Hibari, Yagyū has never seen her display such confidence.

"Hibari-chan, just avoid the bullets as much as you can please. Yagyū-chan and I will stop him." The look in Asuka's eyes were enough for Yagyū to finally accept Hibari being the distraction.

"… Fine." A frown was permanently etched onto the eye patch wearers face. Hibari smiled nervously before steeling herself for her next move.

Continuing on with his onslaught of bullets, Takeshi narrowed his beady eyes at the large umbrella that seemingly deflected every bullet. He wracked his brain for ways to penetrate the defense. While pondering the different ways, he didn't remove his finger from the trigger of his massive machine gun.

"OVER HERE!" A very loud voice yelled out and he blinked in surprise at the busty pink haired shinobi that slipped out of the umbrella. Not even thinking of the other two girls, he chuckled at the girls stupidity before aiming his gun in her direction. He didn't even bother looking over to his partner for the moment.

"I can see the biggest part of you is not your brain!" He shouted before he let the bullets fly. Hibari panicked as they neared her. Biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, she focused intently on evading. She didn't need to attack here, she trusted her teammates.

Katsuragi threw one more look at her teammates as she continued throwing kick after kick at the scum before her. Naruto was still out of it, and Hotaru wasn't moving either. However, witnessing Hibari move around the gunfire safely with such sloppy movements was shocking. It seemed that girl had some hidden talent. Ikaruga's stern voice telling her to pay attention brought her back to the fight.

Takeshi watched in disbelief as this klutz of a shinobi moved around with absolutely no grace in her movement at all. He was sure even he could do better and he wasn't exactly made for close range combat.

A great deal of annoyance set in for the heavyset boy at the erratic dodging he was witnessing. Before he could throw out another taunt, which was seemingly the only thing he and his teammate were good for, he noticed the lack of an umbrella nearby. Taking his eyes off the clumsy girl, he whipped his head around to search for the defenseless girls.

"Looking for us?!" The second he heard that shout he felt something slam into his gut and he lurched back, his large gun falling with a slam. Even while stunned, he saw the brown haired girl glaring daggers at him, a look that didn't suit her delicate face. Before he can steady himself, he felt something press into his back, stopping him from toppling over completely.

"… You like bullets huh?" Yagyū whispered with malice. His ears picked up the sound of something opening up behind him, and Takeshi had absolutely no time to react to the umbrella releasing its own personal bullet hell.

Yagyū did not enjoy the previous comment pertaining to Hibari's intelligence.

She counted every bullet she fired at the rotund shinobi.

* * *

Hotaru cradled his arm that was most certainly broken beyond repair and watched his illusion made copies relentlessly attack the demon before him.

His blades were specifically made with his unique abilities in mind. Whenever the blades would vibrate, different types of illusions can be placed on whoever he pleased. His strategy to subtly interfere with Naruto's perception before worked, and now this technique he considered to be his best. Within this illusion, he purposefully trapped himself with the boy, and whatever damage done in here would reflect in the 'real world'. Luckily, his copies were not injured like him or else this would be an impossible fight. He bit his tongue at the sharp pains shooting through his aching body.

The rogue grimaced at the illusions disappearing in a relatively quick fashion as Naruto cut them down. He didn't care how many it took, he'd tire the boy out before going for a killing blow.

Naruto swept his eyes over the clones rushing him down. No matter how many he cut down, they kept coming from all directions. If he weren't in a bad mood currently, the host of Kurama would have yawned at the power of these fakes.

'**If you've calmed down enough, you don't need my chakra for this. You're only going to put more strain on your body by using my chakra so much today' **Kurama informed its container. Naruto frowned as more clones reached him. Oddly enough, their blades were not vibrating. Dodging and weaving through the mass of illusions, the chakra cloak assisted him in swatting away the fakes. The corrosive chakra made quick work of any attackers.

'I am going to kill him Kurama.' The finality in that mental statement didn't shock Kurama in the slightest. The Kyuubi was reminded of how Naruto originally vowed to kill Nagato after witnessing the destruction and deaths in the village. There was one big difference here though.

Naruto did not have a bond with Hotaru through past teachers. There would be no ideologies or past transgressions discussed.

No. It was simply revenge.

'**If you are so insistent on revenge, it would mean more coming from you than by using my chakra. You're more than capable of finishing this weakling off.'**

As soon as Kurama finished speaking, Naruto felt the chakra covering him begin to fade, returning to his seal with little fanfare.

Hotaru immediately noticed the red energy disappear and newfound confidence surged in the man. He smiled through the pain and began to run his mouth again.

"Getting tired demon? I see that disgusting energy is gone." He left one of his blades on the ground near his feet, his arm unable to support carrying anything. "Don't worry. I'll end this soon."

Naruto closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, calming his rage at just hearing that voice. Blue eyes were revealed to the rogue shinobi, and interestingly enough a slit pupil remained.

"I was thinking the same thing." Naruto shrugged off his coat, the one that resembled his sage attire in his past life. Knuckles cracked as his trench knives glistened under the still dull lighting illuminating the ruined basement.

"There's no escaping this illusion. For all that power that you have, you can't get out of here by running." The unending taunts spewed from Hotaru's mouth. More clones appeared around the man and prepared to rush Naruto once more.

"Do you remember the wounds you left on her that night?" Naruto's question stopped the rogue from moving momentarily.

"I remember that I left that bitch gasping for air." The cruel response made Naruto's eyes narrow.

"I do. You know why? I see them every day. Every single day." Naruto began pumping chakra into his legs, his enormous reserves not even feeling the strain.

"What? Did you take a picture of her dead body or something freak?" Hotaru painfully chuckled to himself.

Naruto didn't answer.

Kurama understood what Naruto meant.

Hikage's tattoo's weren't just for fun.

"I'm sure I can stab you the same way if you want it so bad demon. You have a weird obsession with a whore who found wealth in a ragtag gang." The insults kept coming.

"I'm going to shut that mouth of yours. Once and for all." The chakra Naruto was building up started to leak out of him. The energy that was usually naked to the human eye rapidly became visible.

"Hahaha! This is _my _illusion. You still don't understand." Hotaru gestured to the increasing copies of himself and closed his only eye confidently. "My illusion was strong enough to take out any shinobi sent after me for years on end. Good enough to keep myself hidden while overtaking this gang. Good enough-!"

An absolutely sickening crunch noise rang throughout the area as a pair of brass knuckles smashed into the insulting mouth of Hotaru. The rogue felt his teeth shatter with the impact and his neck snapped back, giving him a major case of whiplash. He never even saw Naruto move. Somehow, his illusions reacted as soon as they caught sight of Naruto.

The Hebijo/Hanzo shinobi turned on the mass of copies and sped through a sequence of seals before sucking in a large amount of air. Naruto's chest swelled with the buildup of chakra before a massive pressurized blast of wind released from his mouth and destroyed anything in its path. Kurama was internally happy that Naruto took advantage of his natural element more in this lifetime as opposed to his last. The chakra beast held more than enough knowledge of techniques to teach the boy some highly destructive wind jutsu.

Hotaru, a shinobi whose body was in peak form with muscles that were the envy of most men, struggled to hold back the intense scream that ripped through his throat.

Naruto didn't give the rogue a chance to even raise his silver blade, his trench knives blurred forward with purpose.

Tearing through the flesh like tissue paper, the last gift Naruto received from his mother struck at particular areas on the shinobi's body.

They were perfectly identical to Hinata's fatal wounds.

Hotaru felt nothing but suffering as the trench knives stabbed into him and were pulled out roughly.

Hinata's killer fell onto his back, his mouth leaking copious amounts of blood onto his own burly body. The illusion that once surrounded the two in the basement began to crack. As this was too much for him to keep his technique or body up, the illusion couldn't last.

Naruto shook his head as he stood across from the man, the lingering effects of being under an illusion left him with a headache. He knew he needed to practice escaping the techniques of this world some more.

Hotaru, the real one, appeared to be frozen in place before his body gave out. The damage was done from the illusion, it was a vicious side effect of trapping himself with his opponent. He never even saw Naruto move, partially due to his own arrogance. Through the bravado, the insults, the taunts, Hotaru realized something.

He was hopelessly outclassed.

All the help he received from that man. All the supposed intel on this boy. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

The wounds appeared on his body and he began to bleed out. His mouth tightly closed from the shattering punch Naruto delivered to him.

Naruto didn't break his gaze with the fallen body of Hotaru. The Hanzo girls and chaos around him were an afterthought right now. He took slow footsteps forward, his trench knives hanging loosely.

Hotaru desperately tried thinking of anything. An escape. A distraction. Something.

The footsteps got even closer and his vision was becoming blurry. His breathing became strained.

Naruto paid little attention to the shouts he recognized from the surrounding area. He was almost in a trance.

Pushing his body forward, Hotaru tried to move as far away from the approaching demon. With his clouded vision, the bright blond hair still remained. It was almost the same shade as that woman.

This time, the positions were reversed.

Naruto tilted his head down at the pitiful form of a rogue evil shinobi. All his accomplishments and plotting were all for nothing. Overtaking gangs, running from good shinobi, training others, it didn't matter. Naruto saw his mouth move slowly, in a desperate attempt to speak.

"W… Wait…" It was a pathetic attempt to plead with the Hebijo shinobi. Naruto placed his trench knives back to their original position on his waist before raising his right hand slowly.

Hotaru wheezed out shuttering breaths. He knew this was it. His pride shattered. The muscular man had nothing left. His idiotic 'students' meant nothing. The gang he practically stole meant nothing.

"You… you will… this won't…"

Before any more information or begging can continue from the dying shinobi, a shrill noise emanated from Naruto's palm.

"B-BOSS!"

"NARUTO!"

The calls rang out from various individuals

Before his life was snuffed out, the last thing he heard was a small whisper coming from the avenger.

"I'm sorry… Hikage."

Hotaru, for all his arrogance and grandiose style of provoking opponents, did not go out the way he imagined. There would be no lasting legacy, no shinobi revering his name. He was set to be another death among the shinobi populace.

The concentrated sphere of chakra showed him no mercy.

* * *

Asuka witnessed a lot of shinobi techniques in her young life. Her grandfather was known as one of the most powerful for good reason. Whereas Hanzo tended to stay grounded when it came to his move set, meaning subtly was a big part of it, Naruto had no such restraint. His technique, that bright blue ball of energy, demolished the ground and area around the basement. She had to shield her face to avoid being cut from any stray debris.

When the raging storm of energy and destruction settled down, Asuka practically forgot about her previous opponent that Yagyū riddled with bullets. Her still innocent eyes, even after two years of training, drank in the sight of a very obvious dead rogue shinobi. She heard the yelp that Hibari let out when her eyes no doubt spotted the man.

Naruto's technique wasn't one Asuka ever wanted to be hit with.

This was purely used to kill.

Hotaru's body was mangled due to multiple stab wounds and an arm that was bent at an odd angle. The blood that surrounded him would have caused any human being to bleed out in a matter of minutes. Naruto obviously didn't intend to let that happen.

The spiral-like pattern that was imprinted into Hotaru's chest appeared similar to a drill penetrating a surface. Asuka felt her stomach flip as she noticed the sheer brutality and resisted the urge to shut her eyes.

"You bastard!" A desperate voice came from the opposite side of the room and Asuka got ready for another fight.

"Oh no you don't!" Whatever plan the club wielding ally of the now deceased shinobi had, it was ruined by Katsuragi.

A textbook dropkick nailed Michio in the head. Katsuragi held nothing back when it came to knocking him unconscious. There was a high chance of a concussion or brain damage after her powerful kick.

"Michio!" The cry from his teammate caught everyone's attention. Yagyū stopped her bullets shortly after Naruto decided to destroy the ground. Takeshi's overweight body was battered from the girls attacks.

Naruto heard the familiar boys voice and snapped his gaze onto him. Kurama grumbled deep from within the seal, already knowing Naruto was going to do something.

Not even sparing another glance at Hotaru, someone he believed worse than trash, Naruto approached the panting Takeshi.

Hibari gulped as Naruto got closer, fearing his reaction. Yagyū placed herself closer to the girl as a means to calm her down. Neither were keen on staring at the rogue shinobis body.

Asuka tried speaking, although that was hard to do when words died in your throat.

Ikaruga placed her hand on Katsuragi's arm to stop the bouncy girl from interrupting Naruto. The unofficial leader of the Hanzo team was curious as to what his next move would be. Today was full of many emotions for all the girls.

"Yo… Takeshi."

Frantic beady eyes locked onto calm blue. They were almost too calm.

"We were right about you! Y-You freak!" Takeshi tried backing away from the group of shinobi but his wounds stung with every little movement.

"How could I ever forget you two?" Naruto tilted his head at the cowering deviant. The Hanzo team were put on edge by the look on his face. Takeshi swallowed deeply at the sight, it was a far cry from the boy that he and Michio were able to beat down all those years ago.

"If it weren't for you two, I would have never met Hebi-chan." The soft smile on his whiskered face did not fit the situation. Every Hanzo girl was instantly curious about the nickname, especially Katsuragi. They added it to the ever expanding list of mysteries and questions surrounding Naruto.

"You two freaks belonged together…" Takeshi glared defiantly at him and Naruto gave him credit for not passing out.

"Of course. I heard your little plan from before ya know?" The smile quickly became cold on his face. "I could have sworn I told you to leave her alone in the past. Right?" Naruto questioned him.

"Wait…" Takeshi stuttered as Naruto got closer.

"Not to mention… that night. You helped that scum kill her didn't you. You were there." Naruto closed his eyes and shook his head, recalling a distant memory. Takeshi's hand inched towards a small pouch on his large waist.

"There isn't anyone here from an orphanage to stop us this time."

Takeshi, using whatever strength he had left, flung his hand outwards and threw a small silver blade at the face of Naruto.

With little effort, Naruto intercepted knife and almost admired the craftsmanship.

For all the wrong reasons.

"I see you even have the same blades that he did. Funny." Blue chakra started forming around the knife, sharpening it to an extreme and lengthening the edge.

"You're not even worth killing with my own weapon." Naruto gripped the knife and Takeshi saw his life flash before his eyes.

"Naruto. Don't." Ikaruga commanded him. Naruto stopped moving and angled his head in her direction.

"He is an evil shinobi, standard protocol for good shinobi is to eliminate them. Correct?" Ikaruga frowned at the statement. He was not wrong.

"Both him and his teammate can be used for information. This mission did not at all go the way Kiriya-sensei intended it to. There's too many unknowns here to eliminate a lead on making sense of this mess."

Naruto hummed deeply at her explanation. Denying her would go against his whole image as a good shinobi.

'**You don't need to give them anymore of a reason to distrust you. You got your revenge, this pathetic creature before you isn't worth exposing these girls to more of your recent brutality.' **Kurama chimed in.

'Since when did you care about people being exposed to brutality Kurama?'

'**Get your head out of your ass kid. You're starting to act like an Uchiha.'**

The chakra fizzled out and the small knife fell to the ground with a faint clang.

Takeshi released a breath he was holding in for the past minute, which was an accomplishment for the overweight boy.

Unfortunately for him, he didn't expect Naruto's foot to come crashing into his face. His nose shattered and the overwhelming pain sent him into unconsciousness.

"Naruto!" Ikaruga did not expect that.

"Katsuragi probably gave the other asshole permanent brain damage but you're mad that I knocked him out?"

"That…" She had no retort for that. Naruto sighed and faced the entire group. His appearance was disheveled from all the events that occurred on the mission. He studied each girl and deep down, he knew he deserved the looks hidden on their faces. Or unhidden in Asuka's and Hibari's case.

"Can you explain… all of this? Please?" Katsuragi was the first to speak up, her anxiety from feeling Naruto's power and rage was decreasing.

"Let's get out of here first." Naruto left no room for argument. He didn't want to stay here for much longer.

The Hanzo group quickly agreed to that.

"Um… who is going to carry them out of here?" Asuka pointed to the prone forms of Takeshi and Michio.

"You girls go on ahead. I'll use some clones."

Before Ikaruga can fight him on that, Hibari rushed out of the basement. The poor girl was unable to handle the serious situation for much longer. Yagyū rushed after her, throwing Naruto a undecipherable look. Asuka looked saddened before reluctantly moving ahead, allowing her shinobi transformation to finally drop.

"Do not cause them anymore harm Naruto-san. They are needed alive for interrogation." Ikaruga had a lot she needed to know right now, but her answers would not come while they remained here. She also had to tip the police off regarding a gang operating here so they can come make arrests. A lot of them. The third year of Team Hanzo chased after her teammates.

Katsuragi stared at Naruto intently, her mind a jumbled mess of questions.

"Do you feel good?"

That was the one that spilled out from her mouth. It was an almost childish question and Katsuragi felt stupid. She didn't even expect him to answer.

"No." The quick answer shocked her.

"You got your revenge. I don't know the whole story but this seemed very personal and now you don't feel good about it? I don't understand."

"… Go on ahead. I'll catch up in a minute." He ended the questioning there.

Katsuragi's stubborn nature wouldn't allow for that but she knew the severity of the current situation. She spun on her heel and proceeded towards the exit.

"I will figure you out Naruto Uzumaki. I swear." She spoke aloud.

Naruto mentally wished her luck. He didn't even know who _he_ was at times.

Two clones burst into existence and Naruto pointed at the injured boys on the ground. His copies grimaced before lifting them like they were trash being taken out, which they technically were.

Before the original could follow them, he walked over to the almost crater sized hole that he made in the expansive basement floor. He was surprised that the building was able to hold up under the pressure.

Two silver blades rested on the ground, covered by debris. Bending down and retrieving them, Naruto tightened his hands around them, holding himself back from putting everything he had into destroying them. He had other plans.

'**Smart. Assuming the blades work in the hands of others, this will be a good way to familiarize yourself with the illusions they are able to cast here.' **Naruto nodded at Kurama's assessment of the situation.

"What do I do about him?" Naruto wasn't speaking in his mind for once, seeing as everyone left the area. He was referring to the crushed form of Hotaru.

'**You don't know any jutsu that can burn him. You don't have any scrolls to use for sealing. There's no way you can carry him out of here in that state and you wouldn't bother burying him anyway.' **Kurama stared through Naruto's eyes. **'I do have a few ideas, all of which you wouldn't like.'**

"Seriously? I am a shinobi you know." Naruto would soon regret those words.

'**Oh? Well Mr. Brutality, show me how much of a shinobi you are after this.'**

Naruto opened his mouth to argue with his partner.

'**Ready another **_**Rasengan**_**. I'll add some chakra.'**

Revenge or not, Naruto was not a fan of this.

* * *

Hikage and Haruka sat at the couch of their shinobi room quietly. Two cellphones rested on their laps as they stared at nothing in particular.

"..."

"... Perhaps I should call him again?"

"It just goes to voicemail. His phones off."

"That's strange." Haruka commented with a sour face.

"I know."

Hikage wasn't in a great mood when she realized her boyfriend hasn't answered either of their calls or texts for hours. Seeing as it was a weekend with no mission, Naruto always had his phone at the ready. Hell, missions and school didn't stop him anyway from using the device.

"This is the last time I allow him to go on a date with another girl." Haruka told her seriously.

"..." That would usually warrant a response from the green haired girl.

"Hikage-chan? This is the part where we argue about darlings relationships."

"It's not normal for him to not answer. Do you think something happened?" Hikage turned to her teammate.

"Well, it is Naruto-kun. It would be unusual for something _not _to be happening with him around."

"Good point."

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That's questionable."

"What I meant is we should go find him. Use that weird sense of smell you have to track him down."

Hikage rose a thin green eyebrow at that comment.

"What're you talking about?"

"You always smell him. Everyone notices." Haruka withheld a giggle at Hikage's face.

"She's right Hikage-san." Yomi chimed in.

"You do smell Naruto-nii..." Mirai admitted.

"Fuckin' weirdos." Homura mumbled from her place on the floor. The tanned girl was lounging peacefully.

"The council has spoken Hikage-chan." Haruka told her friend happily. "Now put that to the test and let's find our boyfriend."

"... It's not weird, he just smells good..."

"It's weird!" Homura screamed.

"Homura-chan, close your legs. You're giving everyone a show again." Haruka couldn't help but poke fun the girls position.

"Oh come on!" Homura blushed fiercely, happy that Naruto was not around at the moment.

Hikage sighed and lazily stood to lead Haruka around town. She may not know Naruto's exact location, but she can certainly try to find him.

'I won't let these people shame me... they just don't understand.'

"Sorry for kink shaming you Hebi-chan."

Hikage still hated Haurka.

* * *

**A/N -** Life is crazy so the updates are suffering I know I know. By the way, everybody stay safe with all the craziness happening in the world right now! Seriously, keep yourselves healthy.

Anyway, THE-Twilight-BlazeKnight (thanks my guy) suggested having little 'omakes' or extra side stories that involve Naruto and the Senran girls just like in their games. I really like this idea so I think I'm gonna add a few of them here and there. I'll title the chapters accordingly (such as side story or extra, or something stupid), but basically this will allow me to update the story a little more frequently with these shorter side stories. They won't be useless at all, I'll still be developing friendships and all that good stuff. Plus I can add some more creative ideas without following the basis of the Senran story.

When thinking about Hotaru's weapon and the vibrating aspect, I thought of Jetstream Sam from Metal Gear Rising : Revengence. Of course these aren't on the same level of that beautiful high frequency blade but hey, that's what I was thinking of, besides the whole illusion thing. Play that game if you haven't by the way, it's amazing.

Also the amount of followers and favorites for this story are insane in my eyes. A Senran Kagura crossover receiving this much attention is wild. Love you people.

Besides that, I hope you guys liked the chapter and again, be safe people :)


	19. Evil Shinobi

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

"Spill it Naruto. What the hell happened in there?"

After Ikaruga notified the police of a gang hideout within the area, they witnessed Naruto leaving the collapsing basement. The trip back to Hanzo Academy was the most awkward and tense experience that the young team of shinobi have faced.

Hibari sat huddled close to Yagyū, the younger girl still shaken by the madness that occurred. Ikaruga watched him like a hawk from her position by the entrance of the room. Asuka actually ran off to notify Kiriya of their messy mission and the two boys they captured.

Katsuragi on the other hand appointed herself as interrogator.

"Earth to Naruto." The busty blonde snapped her fingers in front of his face. He wasn't even talking with Kurama currently, he just felt tired. Naruto didn't bother retrieving the powered off phone from his pocket.

"I hear you." He ran a hand through his hair while making a mental note that he needed a shower. A very thorough shower.

"You made copies of yourself, used an insanely strong blue ball thing and had that red energy coming off of you. Why didn't you tell us about this before?" Katsuragi was somewhat of an expert at hiding her true emotions, she had to be. If she wasn't, the abandonment from her parents would ensure her days would be ruined. With Naruto, she felt a real connection, one that she only felt with Ikaruga at times. That's the sole reason why this bothered her. When she was around him, she disregarded the teachings about getting too attached to others as a shinobi. There was something about his warm presence that drew her in.

"You all know about my heritage." He played into the lie again. "These techniques are something only I'm capable of. I use my… energy differently from you shinobi. The red energy is something I borrow from the 'creature' I can summon." The explanation was filled with muddled truths. He didn't reveal anything in full but he tried explaining some things.

"That energy was scary. I don't want to meet that creature…" Hibari's whisper was picked up by everyone in the room. Originally, Hibari was excited to meet the summon. Naruto lacked the willpower to vehemently defend his partner right now, though he did look in Hibari's direction.

"I'm sorry about that. When I get angry, that energy leaks out and it actually helps me a lot. I know it looked scary, but I had to make sure that he died." His face scrunched up in downright disgust for the rogue shinobi.

"Who was he to you?" Surprisingly, the question came from Yagyū.

Naruto struggled to come to terms with revealing any true information about himself. After a minute of silence, he decided to be honest.

"He killed my mother." For some reason he refrained from referring to her with the more affectionate 'Kaa-chan' that he'd scream at her in the past.

The Hanzo girls gave him looks of sympathy despite their uneasy feelings. Each one had their own share of struggles and understood how that must have affected Naruto. Katsuragi looked conflicted on pursuing a topic involving family.

"She was the previous leader of that gang?" Ikaruga easily deduced that from Hotaru's many taunts.

Naruto nodded at the third year shinobi, not surprised that Ikaruga picked up on that.

"She was. When she led her gang they were completely different." His fists clenched as he remembered the disgusting threat that one nameless gang member made towards the Hanzo girls. Hinata would never allow that to slide.

"This wasn't the first time you encountered that man either." Ikaruga nailed that fact as well.

"I'm the one that took his eye. The night he killed her, I had some issues and couldn't finish him off." Naruto admitted. He realized what he was doing. Opening up to these girls. They weren't his Hebijo group. It would come back to bite him in the ass.

"I see. Despite the way you went about it, we would have had to eliminate any evil shinobi that appeared. Although, capturing him could have been beneficial." Naruto stared at Ikaruga blankly for a few seconds.

"Those two we did capture, they mentioned visiting a snake girl or something." Yagyū chimed in from her position next to Hibari. Katsuragi chewed on her lip as that question finally popped up. She did wonder who 'Hebi-chan' was as well. However, she felt like it was not appropriate to ask him right now. She was concerned about how he truly felt.

Naruto didn't respond to Yagyū and none of the Hanzo girls wanted to push that topic in particular.

The proverbial dam broke for Katsuragi as she forced her way into his personal space. Worry filled her face as she stared into his tired eyes.

"Are you alright?" This was the question she should have asked from the start. His abilities and insane power aside, she wanted to know if her friend was okay. He admitted that it didn't feel 'good' to have his revenge and she was concerned.

"Don't worry about me." His fast answer didn't sit well with her. Katsuragi shook her head disapprovingly.

"I am worried. I admit… I was terrified. That energy felt like it was choking me." Katsuragi saw the regret forming on his face and tried to correct that. "But I still knew that you would never attack us. You did that to protect us from him, right? If he got a couple of lucky hits in on you, I doubt any of us would have been a match for him." She was usually confident in her abilities. Then she witnessed Hotaru's illusion abilities working on Naruto and realized she needed to train more. A lot more.

"I honestly think it would be best if I wasn't on your team." He realized that went against his Hebijo mission. The betrayed look on Katsuragi's face struck a chord in him. The other girls remained quiet, they were conflicted on what to feel right now. Before Katsuragi could argue, a shout came from the doorway.

"No way! Absolutely not!" Asuka stood in the entrance, glaring at Naruto.

"Asuka-" Naruto called out to her before she stomped her foot. If it weren't for the context of the situation, it would be a cute gesture, childish, but cute.

"No! You don't get to leave because of this. Naruto-kun what you did was super scary and I've never seen anything like it before…" Asuka shook her head fiercely. "It doesn't matter! You did that to make sure Hotaru didn't get away, you did that for your mother. You did that to protect us. You think I'm going to let my teammate leave because of that?!" Asuka didn't mention that she was listening from outside the room for a couple of minutes.

Naruto looked like he saw a ghost as she yelled at him. Something about Asuka reminded him of someone. He couldn't put his finger on it, but her demeanor, her words and personality. It felt familiar.

Kurama stirred as it realized what Naruto could not. The girls personality shared a striking resemblance to his own.

"I'm sure nobody wants you to leave because of this! My grandpa likes you and he's never interacts with shinobi our age. Besides all that, you're our friend! Right girls?" Asuka encouraged her teammates to speak up. Hibari looked down at her lap in silent contemplation. She already felt weak and being scared of Naruto would only reinforce that weakness. That feeling may not go away for some time but she needed to be strong. She couldn't just be a distraction for the rest of her life.

"Yes, Naruto-kun is our friend." The shy smile sent his way showed that some of her fear was alleviated. It was perfectly understandable for a first year shinobi to be on edge around him.

"… Anybody that would allow a power like that to come out to protect others and avenge a family member is alright by me." Yagyū wasn't quite sure on the whole friendship thing. Bonds like that were not exactly encouraged and she still didn't trust him fully. That didn't mean she planned on kicking him off their team. Family was important to her and she was sure she would have done the same thing if she were in his position.

"You are an extremely talented shinobi, although you need to work on your poor grades. You will not be leaving our team. That is simply foolish." Ikaruga was still brimming with questions for him as well. She would get her answers.

"Katsu-nee?" Asuka asked the unusually silent girl.

Naruto tensed his body and rose his forearm to block a powerful kick. He looked to his attacker and saw her wipe away at her watery eyes roughly before realizing her kick was ineffective.

"You would really leave because of that? I agree with Asuka. I'd never allow it you dumbass." Katsuragi tried getting into his personal space again before Naruto held out an arm to stop her.

Hearing what the girls thought of him and the declarations of friendship, it was only a matter of time before he had to break it. He didn't enjoy what he was doing. When it came down to it though, the Hebijo girls were his life now. Hikage, Haruka, Yomi, Mirai and his biggest pain in the ass, Homura.

It still hurt like hell to hear the Hanzo team speak positively about him. He enjoyed the time he was spending with them, especially Katsuragi. They both acted so similar at times that he felt a connection there as well.

'Yeah… this won't end well.' Naruto lowered his arm, looking at the entire group.

"I need some time to think." His dismissal of their friendship sent a new wave of betrayal through Katsuragi. Asuka was about to shout at him again before he walked to the entrance of the room and stood in front of her.

"I'll be back after the weekend okay? We can talk more then. Let Kiriya know that I have some words for him." Naruto was more than a little annoyed about the mission they received, even if he got what he wanted.

Asuka couldn't even open her mouth before he left the room. The shinobi room sat quiet for a few moments, basking in the awkward atmosphere.

"Haha! I guess I'm going to go do some training!" Katsuragi marched her way to the door. The gigantic smile on her face was pitifully fake.

"Don't follow him Katsuragi-san. He may be our teammate but let him deal with this." Ikaruga knew Naruto would rather not be bothered right now. She didn't expect the angered look thrown her way from Katsuragi.

"No. How do you know he wants to deal with this alone? He told me he doesn't even feel good after what he did! You don't know him."

"It seems like none of us truly do." Ikaruga fired back. Her blonde teammate grit her teeth at the statement.

Katsuragi ran past Asuka and was met with a quiet hallway. He was gone already. She felt her chest tighten painfully.

His disappearance reminded her too much of her parents.

* * *

"Well…" Haruka crossed her arms and stared at the large gathering of police and detained gang members. "I'd bet money on Naruto-kun being involved."

The two girls stood among a large crowd that raved about the transpiring event.

Hikage stared at the colors each criminal wore as they were taken out of the large building. It was too similar.

"Still not picking up his phone either. That boy, I swear." Haruka turned to her friend. "Hikage-chan? What's the matter?"

"Alright everyone! Move along. There's nothing to see here." A man dressed in a police uniform addressed the crowd.

"Officer! I heard loud shouting and not long ago, it felt like an earthquake! What happened?!" A random voice shouted from the group. The police officer shook his head before yelling once more.

"I'm afraid we don't even have all the details. Just know that the problem is being resolved as we speak. These people will be locked up for a long time." He didn't mention that they were searching for the gang hideout for some time now. The police truly felt like fools when they realized the building wasn't exactly hidden well and the number of members was tremendous.

"That's Kaa-san's gang." Hikage muttered softly. Haruka looked confused for only a moment before her face lit up in understanding.

"I thought it disbanded after she…" Haruka let her sentence hang and Hikage nodded to confirm her assumption.

"It did." Hikage didn't understand what was happening here, but she knew Haruka was right. Naruto was involved.

"Do you smell him or something?" Haruka almost read her mind. Hikage blankly looked at her teammate.

"We have to find him." Hikage told her with finality. Haruka wasn't planning on arguing.

"He is losing his phone privileges for a while. Seriously." Haruka was still annoyed that for the first time he wasn't using the stupid thing.

Hikage began moving through the crowd, with Haruka following closely. She didn't see a point in staying around and watching her mother's former gang being arrested. Hinata was gone. The gang didn't mean much to her anymore.

A soft hand slipped into her grip.

"We will find whoever started up her gang again. I promise you." Haruka squeezed Hikage's hand reassuringly. The Hebijo shinobi knew that it bothered her teammate.

Hikage's hand tightened slightly in Haruka's grip.

'I doubt whoever started it again is alive.'

Hikage started moving towards a direction that was very familiar to her childhood.

* * *

The cool nighttime breeze shook the leaves on the surrounding trees gently. The sway of those dancing leaves caught his attention. He felt calm when surrounded by nature. Everything seemed so peaceful when he came here.

His legs dangled over a large branch as he sat atop of one tree that overlooked a gravesite.

For just a moment, he looked down at the plot of land holding someone that meant so much to him. He wished he could talk to her again and let her know what happened.

Naruto's head dipped as he felt drowsiness creep up on him. Using Kurama's chakra and the mental toll of what went on with his mission had an effect on his body. He also lost track of time in the shower where he scrubbed furiously at his hands.

Leaning his head on the hardened bark, he allowed his weary eyes to close for just a little while. He felt that he earned this.

An hour passed before the wind picked up around his sleeping form and a soft thud sounded from the branch. If he were awake, that would have alerted him to a person standing next to him.

Rin stared down at what was supposed to be her student in Hebijo. The whiskered shinobi slept peacefully, his face showing nothing but content as he laid against the tree.

Truthfully, she didn't feel like much of a teacher to him. Naruto was too advanced, too stubborn, and too emotional. She was used to the cold shinobi that Hebijo prided themselves on for years. Tradition at Hebijo even stated that all evil shinobi must carry a small vial of poison to consume should they be defeated in combat. It was better to die than to be captured. She never attempted to give any of her students the vial. Naruto would turn against the school in a heartbeat if that was enforced and that was more trouble than it was worth.

Rin knew that her team of girls would have turned out far different if not for his involvement. It seemed he was the catalyst for change among them.

When she met Haruka, the girl was nothing but a manipulative child hell bent on causing others suffering due to her parents actions. Homura was downright volatile and untrusting of others. Mirai only needed a short while of Naruto bursting into her life to learn that not everybody was out to get you. Hikage and Yomi were different cases, although the point still remained.

"You are a strange boy, Naruto." Rin's whisper carried throughout the silent clearing.

She was somewhat aware of what occurred with Hotaru tonight. The energy she felt briefly had to be from her 'student'. It wouldn't take long for word to go around about Naruto. All of the surviving gang members were bound to talk about the boy who cut through their numbers like they were mere ants. Good and evil shinobi alike would find out about Naruto. His Hanzo team definitely would inform their leader. For being a shinobi, he certainly didn't practice subtlety.

'Dōgen knew about this happening tonight…' Rin had her own questions about the rogue shinobi Naruto encountered. Unfortunately, she knew she wouldn't get answers from the benefactor. Whether she liked it or not, the roll of an evil shinobi was to follow orders and not question them.

"You don't do things like other shinobi though." Rin, in her transformed state, bent down to Naruto's position. Her eyes searched his calm expression, trying to make sense of the type of person he was. In her entire career, consisting of two different sides of shinobi life, she's never met someone as unique as him. Kiriya cared for helping others, but he was a shinobi. He would complete his mission no matter what. Naruto on the other hand was the worst 'evil' shinobi she's seen.

"You go against everything I've tried to teach when it comes to being a proper shinobi. I ridicule your friendships, relationships, and words… while you sit there with a smile. Laughing and forming bonds with the others." Rin lifted the boy up easily, his height and weight meaning nothing to a trained shinobi like her. She was sure that he wouldn't enjoy being carried and she certainly wouldn't do this if he was awake. However, she didn't plan on leaving him out here.

Standing up straight, she held his sleeping form before leaping off the tree branch and towards the direction of his mother's home. Upon landing, Rin spared a glance at the decorated grave that she created years ago.

Entering Hinata's home, Rin easily found the woman's room. She briefly noted that it's been well taken care of over the years.

Laying Naruto down, Rin heard a door open and voices from below.

"How'd you know that we keep the key there?"

"Hebi-chan, I am darlings lady of the night. Obviously, I know where the key is."

"Basically a whore. Got it."

"Rude."

Rin shook her head at the rather loud conversation between the girls. Their friendship alone was due to Naruto's involvement. Sparing one last look at the sleeping shinobi, she vanished.

Footsteps approached Hinata's room quickly.

"The doors open?' Haruka questioned as they got closer to the room. Hikage frowned but continued moving. It wasn't long before they stood in the entrance to the bedroom.

Laying on the bed was Naruto, breathing peacefully as he slept. Hikage searched him for any immediate injury, a habit she's had since they lived on the streets.

"Should we wake him up?" Haruka spoke up once again.

"No." Hikage walked over to the love of her life. Raising a hand, she placed it on his forehead. Watching him lean into her touch, Hikage smiled.

Haruka observed the scene with sad eyes. She loved him too, extremely so. 'I should leave him with Hikage for the night. I feel out of place right now.' Tapping the doorframe, she made to turn away and head back to Hebijo. Simply seeing Naruto was all she needed to calm her own nerves.

"Where are you going doll girl?" Hikage's flat voice stopped her in her tracks.

"You can stay with darling for the night. He needs-"

"Just get over here Haruka."

Haruka faced Hikage with an incredulous expression. Their own relationship was certainly _different_, but Haruka felt the bond between them.

"I'm not going to offer again. Get in bed or don't." Hikage placed herself on Naruto's right side and draped her leg over his. The green haired girl didn't even bother changing out of her torn Hebijo uniform.

"You're not going to change?" Haruka took baby steps on her way to the bed. She was still unsure if Hikage was messing with her as the girl usually put up a big fight regarding her staying in Naruto's bed.

"Lazy. Naru is dressed too and I don't want to be naked against his clothes." Hikage pressed herself close to Naruto's neck and breathed in deeply. Haruka's deadpanned at the weird habit as she stood by the left side of the large bed.

"Maybe I'll sleep nude and Naruto-kun will ravage me throughout the night." Haruka was trying to provoke her and Hikage didn't rise to the challenge.

"Whatever."

Slipping into bed next to Naruto, Haruka was transfixed by his serene face. She assumed he must be having a good dream.

Dead yellow eyes bore into her own.

"Can I help you Hikage-chan?"

"Go to sleep."

"You're hogging him all to yourself by smelling him."

"… By law you are trespassing in my home right now."

"I was invited here."

"You literally called yourself a whore when we found the key."

"Not literally you dumb snake."

Naruto moved in his sleep. His arms spread out and smacked both of the girls in their face.

"Truce?" Haruka called out as she rubbed her aching nose.

"Truce." Hikage relented and practically coiled around Naruto's arm to prevent him from doing that again.

Haruka tried replicating the action before something sounding like a snort came from Hikage.

"Pardon me?"

"What a pathetic form you have." Hikage had to criticize her.

"We just agreed on a truce." Haruka whispered back harshly.

A leg kicked her lightly, making Haruka jump in bed.

"Told you. Your form is off."

Sleep did not come easy for Haruka.

* * *

Sunlight managed to hit Naruto directly in the face as a bright Saturday morning started for him. The irritating sensation made him attempt to raise his hands to rub at his distorted vision.

Blinking, he did his best to shake off his drowsiness upon noticing that his arms wouldn't move. His nose also picked up two very distinct smells. Two shampoos he recognized immediately.

The grinding on his left side and the tight grip on his right was enough for him to understand his predicament.

"How did I get in bed? Hinata's bed?" Naruto realized the layout of the room was not his shared one with Hikage.

"Mmm… more darling. Give me more…" Haruka's sleepy words told Naruto that she was having a very interesting dream, as usual. The grinding on his left leg soon sped up and Naruto decided to put an end to things before they got out of hand.

Haruka's eyes shot open and she let out a rather loud moan. She locked gazes with a drowsy Naruto.

"You smacked my butt."

"You moaned really loudly."

Haruka smirked, the expression downright sexual with her messy morning appearance. Leaning up to his face, she began to whisper sensually.

"Maybe I want you to do it harder."

"Doll girl your breath probably stinks. Get out of his face."

The moment was destroyed by Hikage who kept her hold on Naruto's arm.

"Hikage if you keep disrespecting me, I _will_ turn you into a puppet."

"Scary."

Naruto was forced into Haruka's huge chest as she threw herself over his body to reach Hikage. Deciding to prevent a fight, Naruto brought his one free hand to the other Hikage held between her thighs. Only a second later, Haruka fell atop a large pillow instead of Naruto's face.

Naruto sighed as he saw two gorgeous females who were in bed with him. Their unkempt clothes and hair only added to the image. In normal circumstances, Naruto would have reacted accordingly. Right now, he needed to let Hikage know what happened.

"I need to tell you both something."

Both Hebijo third years stopped glaring at each other when they heard his tone.

"Naruto-kun, you had us nervous yesterday. You didn't answer your phone at all." Haruka decided against teasing him for the moment.

"We know about Kaa-san's gang Naruto." Hikage revealed to him.

Naruto was conflicted. He killed Hotaru, that was his goal for years. A goal he shared with Hikage. A loud yawn echoed through his mind.

'**You have to tell her Naruto. I'm going back to sleep so I don't have to deal with these annoying emotions.' **Kurama's seen enough of Naruto's love life for one lifetime… technically two.

'I know. I can't hide anything from her.' Deciding to get it over with, he spoke.

"I killed him Hikage. He's dead." It wasn't exactly vague to her.

Hikage went silent. Her slit pupils not moving from Naruto. Haruka sat up in the bed now. They spoke of this revenge with Naruto often, and it was agreed on that he wouldn't let that consume him.

"You mean the one who took over her gang right?" Haruka needed confirmation unlike her teammate.

"His name was Hotaru. A rogue shinobi." Naruto wasn't exactly keen on sharing details involving the deceased man.

"Are you alright?" Haruka mimicked the question from Katsuragi perfectly.

"Not really." He admitted it easily.

"Come here darling." Haruka patted the space on the bed between her and Hikage. Naruto followed Haruka's command and placed himself close to his girls. Haruka took his left hand softly into her own and expected Hikage to do the same for his right.

"She was my family too." Hikage's voice was barely above a whisper. "We were supposed to do this together." Her face remained blank.

"I know Hikage-chan. I know." Naruto took her hand in his own and she didn't resist.

"It wasn't just you who wanted him dead."

"I know."

"Kaa-san meant a lot to me. Alot."

Naruto felt his heart twist painfully when he saw Hikage's eyes become clouded with raw emotion. His mind flashed back to the young Hikage who looked up to Hinata, even if she hardly understood what to feel.

"These tattoo's… I saw every wound he gave her." Hikage recalled the blood staining her hands as Hinata bled out in her arms. Haruka looked sadly at her teammate.

"If I risked him getting away, all of you would have been at risk. It was also a mission with the Hanzo team." He revealed to both girls.

"The Hanzo team… again." Hikage felt the bitter rise of jealousy in her chest.

"I had no choice. I'm sorry." This was the reaction he feared from Hikage. He knew how deeply Hinata's death affected her and he took the chance by himself. Haruka kept quiet, knowing this was between the two of them. She showed her support by holding onto his hand tightly.

"Hikage-" Naruto was interrupted by her standing from the shared bed.

"I'm going outside." Hikage didn't bother fixing her appearance as she went to exit the room. Naruto's mouth opened immediately, and he would have called to her if it weren't for the hand that softly covered it.

"Let her go. Hikage-chan is different from you and I. You want to chase after her but she needs time to think about this." Haruka pulled him down so his head would rest on her lap. Naruto's gaze refused to leave the door.

"I always help her understand these things though." He couldn't help noticing the similarities between what Hikage did and how he left the Hanzo girls.

"Mhm… I'm aware. Trust me, everything will be alright." Haruka stroked his hair soothingly.

"Do you think she'll hate me for this?" He sounded so defeated that Haruka stopped her caring ministrations to grasp his face.

"Hikage thinks about you constantly. She's in love with you and that will never change. She may be upset over this but she'll understand that you had no choice. Don't worry about her jealousy either. We all know those silly good shinobi can't compete with this." Haruka finished with a smug expression.

"I hope you're right." Naruto attempted to raise his head from her lap before she forced him back down.

"I will always love you too my darling." Haruka leaned down and Naruto fully expected a kiss. Haruka stopped just short of his lips and giggled.

"Tsk tsk. No kisses until you sort this all out. I don't want any sad kisses from you." She tapped him on the nose like one would do to a young child. Naruto couldn't hold back the small grin from her teasing.

"I love you too Haruka-chan." His hand rose to flick her on the nose, getting her back for her previous action.

"Hmm. I expect you to really show me that soon. Didn't Hinata teach you that its rude to keep a lady waiting?" Haruka watched his eyes light up as he remembered his mother. 'Good…'

"She taught me the best way to rob people if that counts."

"It doesn't at all sweetie."

"I figured."

Haruka continued to talk about positive memories with him, successfully distracting him from any of the burdens weighing him down.

That was her self appointed job. Plus, helping the one she loved made her feel amazing.

* * *

Hikage didn't get very far on her venture outside. In fact, she only opened the main entrance to Hinata's house before spinning on her heel and making her way back into the home.

She dropped down onto the soft cushions of a large couch and buried her face into a small pillow for a few minutes. Hikage's raging thoughts were interrupted when her nose scrunched up and she breathed in a scent she recognized.

'Haruka.' The pillow was thrown across the room carelessly.

Hikage let out a weak sigh as she thought about the entire situation involving Hotaru. She did support Haruka's words when the girl begged Naruto not to be consumed by revenge, so she couldn't help feeling like a hypocrite right now.

Deep down she wanted to see the light fade from Hotaru's eyes. She wanted him to feel the same pain that Hinata felt. Naruto took that chance from her.

'He had no choice…' The rational part of her knew that was true.

She loved Naruto more than anything, though this left her feeling bitter for all the wrong reasons.

"I bet you did this to protect me…"

"You'd be right."

Hikage peeked over the couch in surprise at the interruption to her thoughts.

"Haruka-chan told me to leave you alone for a little while longer, but you know me. I couldn't help worrying." Naruto maneuvered over the couch easily, dropping down by Hikage's legs.

"How'd you distract her then?" She had to ask. Haruka had a one track mind when Naruto was around. Not that she was any different.

"She's putting something called parental controls on my phone. It's my 'punishment' for ignoring everyone's calls. Jokes on her, Mirai-chan will fix it for me." Naruto smiled at her to lighten the mood. Hikage only shook her head.

"… You really had no choice Naruto?"

"I told you, I couldn't risk him getting away. All he did was make disgusting comments about you and Kaa-chan. He planned to find you along with those two assholes from the orphanage. There was no way I'd let any of them get close to you." Naruto hated those two ever since he was eight.

"You mean those boys from when we first met?" That information also surprised her. Their first meeting in particular still meant so much to her. She'd never be able to put it into words. Naruto nodded with a grimace on his face.

"They were also there the night she was killed. They were trained by Hotaru, not very well though." He would much rather be in charge of interrogating the two. Unfortunately, Kiriya would not allow that.

"They are alive right?" Hikage asked him quickly.

"For the most part. Why?" Naruto witnessed a smirk come to Hikage's face, a perfect mirror of the sadistic one Hinata would wear.

"Where are they?" She looked ready to get up now, and Naruto extended his arms out to grab the antsy girl.

"Slow down Hikage-chan. My Hanzo team leader is in charge of that. There's no way you can get to them right now."

Hikage deflated instantly, her body going slack in Naruto's arms.

"… I'm still mad Naru." She identified that emotion.

"I had two choices. Kill him or let him run away again and have to worry about him targeting you and our team when I'm not around. I know you're all strong, but I promised to protect the people I love. I'd never take that risk." His blue eyes shone with conviction over his words. Evil shinobi or not, he would protect these girls.

"I'm bad at this stuff, let me be mad at you."

Naruto snickered at her annoyed expression before he bent his head forward.

Hikage met him halfway and they engaged in one of her favorite pastimes. At least until her eyes glinted darkly.

"OW! You bit me!" Naruto pulled back from their kiss to rub at his aching lower lip.

"You deserved it. From now on, we do _everything _together. Understood?" Hikage left no room for arguments as she wrapped her legs around his waist from her position below him.

"I swear I've accepted this before and we already do everything with each other…" The grip on his waist tightened almost painfully. "Okay! I get it… jeez. Hebi-chan, you can get mad all you want. You can protect yourself, you can protect others, it doesn't matter. Just know that as long as I am here, I'll always protect you."

The closed eye grin he wore made her stare at his face in amazement. She could tell he was affected by killing Hotaru, yet he continued to smile. Hikage struggled to come up with a response. The way Naruto made her feel safe was unrivaled.

"I don't care what happens. You're not leaving. Never." Hikage pulled him to her for another kiss. She was referring to his true home, although Naruto didn't catch it.

They kept up their lip lock until Naruto grunted into the kiss. A familiar chest pressed against the back of his head and a weight descended on top of him. This pushed his own weight onto Hikage, who was already glaring daggers at the intruder for interrupting them.

"Oh you two are so sweet. Now that the sad stuff is over, where are my happy kisses?" Haruka smiled evilly at Hikage from above.

"Um... Haruka-chan? You're going to make me crush her." Naruto was sandwiched between two sets of breasts now.

"She'll live. Hikage-chan is a big girl." Haruka continued to provoke her fellow third year.

Naruto felt movement by his waist and he really hoped Hikage wasn't about to do anything drastic now.

"_Shinobi Tenshin."_

Hikage transformed in a flash, leaving Naruto shocked for one reason.

'Where the hell did she keep that scroll?' It wasn't in her shirt!

Hikage looked defiantly at Haruka.

"We are going outside. Now."

"Winner gets a date with darling. Deal?"

"You're on."

"Wait just a second-" Naruto couldn't finish as the room lit up.

Haruka transformed as well.

* * *

Tapping her fingers nervously against a countertop, Asuka waited for her grandfather to reemerge from the kitchen.

Her eyes struggled to remain open as she hardly slept the night before. The image of Naruto covered in that red energy and the brutality he showed remained at the forefront of her mind.

"You don't look too great Asuka-chan." Her grandfather commented as he stood in front her. A steaming cup of tea was soon placed before her.

"I couldn't sleep..." She reached for the tea absentmindedly. The hot temperature didn't seem to bother her.

"Was the mission a success?" Hanzo questioned her as he took a seat next to her.

"Yes... but..." Asuka struggled to speak for a second and Hanzo placed a hand on her shoulder.

"This has something to do with that disappointing boy on your team doesn't it? I mean seriously, how can he not decide between life or hometown?" Hanzo shook his head ruefully.

"Please be serious for once." Asuka pleaded with her grandfather. Hanzo relented and rose his hands to surrender.

"I already heard from Kiriya late last night. It seems that anonymous tip the academy received wasn't in good faith." Hanzo truly wondered if the academy made a mistake. There was always the chance that someone was corrupt enough to take information from unsavory sources.

"We all fought a bunch of these gang members before discovering the leader." Asuka began to explain to her legendary relative. "He was a renegade evil shinobi who abandoned whatever organization he was with in the past. Naruto knew him." She gripped the porcelain cup tighter.

"It didn't end well I'm assuming." Hanzo observed his granddaughters reaction.

"No... Naruto killed him. Brutally." Her face displayed how conflicted she was about it. As a second year at Hanzo Academy, she didn't experience any high profile missions that involved assassination or anything close to it.

"I'm not surprised. He told me he wanted revenge you know. That gang must have meant a lot to him." At her grandfather's words, Asuka shook her head sadly and continued staring at the steaming liquid.

"That man killed his mother. He also threatened someone close to him. I didn't recognize the name... but that doesn't matter." Asuka withheld telling her grandfather how her team was also threatened. Hotaru was gone. He couldn't harm them.

"It's the first time you've been exposed to something like that. I'm sorry you had to witness it... but this is the true nature of shinobi. Not everything is as pretty as some good shinobi make it out to be." Imparting some of his age old wisdom, Hanzo was glad she listened to him.

"I know..." She hung her head and briefly wondered if she was cut out for the lifestyle. Would she end up killing people the same way if revenge clouded her mind?

"Did he hurt any of you?" Hanzo questioned her seriously.

"The rogue? No?" She turned to him with confusion swimming in her eyes.

"Naruto. Did Naruto hurt you?" Asuka almost jumped out of her seat now.

"No! Naruto-kun would never! He promised us that he'd protect us!" She defended her teammate. Sure she was very scared by the display, but she never feared that he'd turn on her.

"He could always break that promise Asuka." Hanzo watched her nose crinkle, something she's done since she was young and showed how she was getting upset.

"No way! He's my teammate! Naruto-kun is a really good guy." Hanzo smiled at her naive nature.

"He is..." Hanzo paused to collect his thoughts. "He's got a lot on his plate though. What would you do if he betrayed that trust you're putting in him?" The retired shinobi wanted to know how his granddaughter would handle Naruto's true position as an evil shinobi.

Asuka stared at her grandfather with a frown. It was almost like he knew something and refused to share. Nonetheless, she gave an answer. Or at least attempted to.

"I... don't know." She truly had no idea how she'd react. Besides, this was all hypothetical right? Naruto was a good shinobi just like her.

"Haha! It was just a little question Asuka-chan. Don't think into it too much." Laughing it off, Hanzo stood and stretched his aged body.

"That's not very funny." She dryly criticized his poor attempt at humor.

"Asuka-chan, one more thing." Hanzo eyed her as she sipped her cooling tea.

"Nothing perverted I hope." She warned him with a cute glare. Hanzo smiled, amused at her behavior.

"No. I want you to step up your training. I don't want to push you too hard but your grandmother will nag me to death if I let you slack off!" Asuka giggled at his fear. Although, she did understand where he was coming from.

Her grandmother was especially vicious when it came to her outlook on shinobi and their lives.

"You got it! I'm going to be training with Katsu-nee and Ikaruga-chan today."

"Very good. Maybe now Sayuri will stop threatening me with a fate worse than death. What I mean is-"

"NO! I'm leaving now! Thanks for the tea!" Asuka stood abruptly. She did not want to hear anything about her grandparents. Her lack of sleep was easily forgotten.

Hanzo chuckled as he watched her leave in a hurry. He was sure she would be alright. Despite her soft and cute appearance, he knew she had more than enough willpower to put up with the shinobi lifestyle. It was up to her to find her own path. He would help along the way, but he wanted her to grow through her own struggles.

'Who knows… maybe she'll help bridge the gap between good and evil shinobi. Just like Naruto.'

Hanzo never expected his retirement to be filled with such intrigue. It's a shame his wife would probably kill him if she found out that he allowed an 'evil' shinobi to be that close to their granddaughter.

* * *

Haruka hid a smile behind her hand as she sat with Naruto and Hikage in a small park near the shopping district.

The little brawl they had held the stipulation that the winner gets a date for the day. It ended in a draw.

'Ah… the things I do for you Hikage…' Haruka thought with no real malice.

By rights, she should have won the fight they had. Hikage was off her game, distracted by the news Naruto revealed to her. It would have taken little effort to make Hikage submit in her distracted state.

Haruka threw the fight at the very end and declared it to be a draw. The snake eyed girl was rightfully suspicious, but she wouldn't turn down a chance to be with Naruto.

'They both needed this.' Leaning against Naruto, she was happy that she was able to distract them. It was clear to Haruka that she changed. During their first year at Hebijo, she would have had no problem with defeating Hikage while she was distracted. After everything that happened between them and their strange relationship, Haruka took any chance to help the girl she's grown close to.

"Haruka?" Haruka perked up at Hikage's voice.

"Hmm? What do you need Hikage-chan?"

"You were staring at me. Stop."

"Hebi-chan, no arguing on our date remember?" Naruto reminded her and Hikage quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Blame her. If she's not trying to grab you, she's staring at me."

"Maybe I love you too Hikage-chan." Haruka commented and shot her big smile.

Naruto laughed at seeing Hikage's glare. Wrapping both of his arms around the girls, he pulled them closer.

"Just admit you care about each other already." Naruto teased them.

"Never." Hikage didn't hesitate.

Haruka continued to smile.

She watched on as Naruto comically berated Hikage who tuned out his rant by staring at the clouds.

Haruka preferred this over the sad faces and eyes they both had in the house earlier. Hikage may take every chance to insult her, but that mattered little to Haruka. She valued her relationships and bonds now.

"... Now you're using it during our date? You couldn't even pick it up yesterday Naru." Hikage narrowed her eyes at the boy. He pulled out his phone after it vibrated like crazy. The notifications it received from the previous day were still coming through.

Haruka peeked over at his screen and read over the message he was on.

"Katsuragi says she's cashing in a favor tomorrow? Naruto-kun, should we be concerned?" Haruka watched panic set in on the face of her boyfriend. Hikage tightened her hold on his arm.

"A favor?"

"Of the sexual kind." Haruka fueled the fire.

"What?! Haruka-chan stop!"

"Give me the phone." Hikage reached for the device.

"No way! Haruka-chan already set my phone background as a picture of herself. I don't want you messing with anything either." Naruto wasn't sure how she password protected a background, but he couldn't remove the lewd image.

Haruka couldn't resist the laughter that spilled out of her.

Watching the two Hebijo shinobi act like children as they ran and fought over the phone made her happy. She was accomplishing her mission.

In moments like this, Haruka forgot all about her status as an evil shinobi.

'I'd choose being happy over being evil any day.' She stood and approached the duo.

"Doll girl, help me." Hikage commanded her and Haruka grinned brightly.

"Of course snake slut."

Naruto clutched his phone for dear life.

* * *

The former hideout of Daybreak sat in cold silence. Police and citizens alike removed themselves from the area after the situation was apparently handled. Warnings of it being a former crime scene meant nothing as one individual strolled through the ruined hallways. Shattered glass, dried blood and gashes along the walls painted a pretty picture for him.

Approaching what was once the former entrance to an expansive basement, it took considerable effort to wade through the debris. It seemed the police did a poor job of investigating below the hideout. They had their hands full with criminals and more than likely assumed the basement to be destroyed.

'Incompetent as ever.' Dōgen chuckled to himself as he pushed a large block of concrete out of his way. His muscled form even more impressive than the deceased rogue. With all his experience, he picked up on the faint shinobi energy that remained in the air. There was a barrier erected previously. Not to mention, he felt that overwhelming spike of sinister energy from the night before.

He couldn't resist the full blown laughter that spilled out as he stood in the center of the basement. The floor was completely destroyed and it looked more like a drill tore through this very location. Not a single sign of Hotaru remained. If it weren't for the light shining through the man made entrance, the area would be completely drowned in darkness.

"Naruto, Naruto, Naruto… oh what have you done here?" Dōgen continued laughing to himself. That boy was perfect.

Everything Dōgen planned, every ambition, it all had the potential to fail. Then Naruto appeared.

The information he had on the boy was shrouded in mystery. Found by workers of an orphanage as a newborn, he was seemingly abandoned without care. Shinobi watched those orphanages closely, there was no shame among them for recruiting children. Dōgen's interest spiked upon discovering Naruto. However, the crude woman leading her gang of degenerates got to him first. That proved to be a slight setback.

Naruto carried himself differently from anyone Dōgen has seen. The shinobi his age couldn't hold a candle to him. It wasn't because he appeared to be a 'prodigy'. No, it seemed that Naruto has done this all _before_. Fighting, training and the way he spoke to others let that mystery grow. The nonsense about a clan and his strange abilities was comedic to the investor.

When Naruto managed to defeat Miyabi in an exhibition of sorts and would have likely injured her had he not interfered with their next fight, Dōgen knew to adjust his plans once more.

Originally, this was all to make profit. His behind the scenes actions, backing certain schools financially and providing them with missions. Profit guided his hand. Then, something occurred to him. A twisted idea that could change the world.

Yōma, the parasitic and demonic creatures born from warfare, blood, _emotion_. As far as Dōgen was concerned, they were the true definition of change for this world. He needed them, and not for monetary gain.

Malevolent colors of black and red pulsed dully at the bottom of the large crater left behind.

Profit no longer mattered, a lust for power festered in him. He would obtain the power to bring all of these shinobi to their knees. The pointless ideologies of good and evil, they were nothing before the dark creatures.

"Naruto my boy…"

Hotaru was pathetic to Dōgen, a mere pawn to do his dirty work. Aiding that man and the two punks he lazily trained was a hassle. However, perhaps he owed a great deal of gratitude to the rogue shinobi. The emotions he caused to run rampart from Naruto and the pure hatred that existed in the boys heart gave birth to something much more important than simple revenge. They taught shinobi to discard emotions for a reason.

An almost quiet mewl rang out from below the collapsed area. Far different from what he knew was festering beneath Hebijo...

Consequences of this be damned, Dōgen felt like the luckiest man on earth.

"… It seems you've given me the keys to the kingdom."

His eyes never left the sight of a freshly born yōma.

* * *

**A/N - **Bruh Moment. Anyway, I wanted to thank all of you for the support with this story. It's crazy looking at the follows/favorites and reviews.

I'm going to post a 'Shinobi Heart' chapter very very soon. They are essentially side missions/stories in the game, but I'll be using them here for more interactions or whatever I want. They will be labeled appropriately to not confuse anyone with it being a continuation from the previous chapter. It just gives me a chance to write more of the random things I want to include but haven't found a place for in the context of the story.

**OH! **One very important thing I did was go back to every damn chapter and edit out whatever grammar mistakes I could. That actually took more time than I expected. Nothing else changed plot wise of course. One reviewer brought it to my attention that I've had "rouge" instead of "rogue" every time. I wanted to smack myself after realizing that.

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things with writing, but forgive me for the many _many_ infrequent updates. At the end of the day, this is simply a hobby for fun. :)


	20. Shinobi Heart - Making Friends

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

"Whatcha doin'?!"

Naruto put a large math textbook down when a familiar voice called out to him. Raising his eyes from the dreadful equations Ikaruga made him stare at, Naruto deadpanned at his new view.

Katsuragi smiled brightly from her position above him. He was seated at a large desk in their shinobi room and she decided to save him from their shared hell. Schoolwork.

"I can see everything ya know..." Naruto commented and it took Katsuragi a second to realize what he was referring to. Her face flushed slightly before she lowered her raised leg from the desk. She had no problem with groping him or the other girls but having her panties directly in his line of sight made her slightly embarrassed.

"Hehe..." She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Anyway! I wanted to save you from that crap. Seriously, studying now?! Yuck."

"Ikaruga-chan wouldn't shut up until I picked the textbook up." Naruto saw no point in pursuing school work in Hanzo or Hebijo. He just didn't care for school.

"When she tries to make me do that, I just give her one of these." Katsuragi showed him her hands and made a few grabbing motions towards her own chest.

"I will not sexually harass her."

"Psh. Lame..."

Katsuragi plopped down right onto the desk and crossed her legs, continuing to stare down at the boy. Naruto scratched at his cheek, wondering why she was intently watching him.

"Naru-kun. Do you have friends?"

He was about to speak up before she snapped her fingers once.

"Damn, I should correct myself. Do you have any _male _friends?" Her smile turned mischievous. Naruto sat back and genuinely thought about her question for a moment.

"Of course I do! There's... um..."

"Go ahead."

"Er... Kiriya...? Hanzo...?" He never realized his list was practically nonexistent.

"Our teacher and an old pervert. My poor baby." She cooed at him teasingly and Naruto swatted the hand approaching his face.

"Well, what about you? You don't have any either." It was a poor defense and Katsuragi laughed.

"Don't need em'. All I need is you in one hand and some titty in another."

"You have a problem."

"Heh. Now that you admitted to having no guy friends, we have to correct that. Don't you want to be able to compare dick sizes and stuff with your boys? That what they do right?" Naruto blinked owlishly at the Hanzo shinobi. He realized she was not joking, she was just clueless.

"What is wrong with you?" She giggled at his question before shooting off the desk and appearing at his side. Pulling him up, Naruto decided not to resist. Katsuragi once said she liked when her targets put up a fight. He would not entertain that very... concerning kink of hers.

"Come on. It's time for my new mission to begin. Find one hunk some bro's to hang out with!" She started dragging him out of the room in a hurry. It was around lunch time and the other shinobi girls were probably enjoying their food outside.

"Katsu-chan, I don't need your help with that ya know." It's not like he planned on being with Hanzo Academy forever anyway. Not to mention, he didn't really know what to talk about with other guys his age.

"Don't care. I can't have _my_ boy being around just girls all the time. What if people get the wrong idea?!"

"I don't like what you're implying..."

"Okay! Let's see... where to go first?" Katsuragi ignored him while she hummed and pulled him in a random direction.

Their first stop was a large computer room on campus. Katsuragi knew a bunch of tech kids liked hanging out in there at lunch time. They played games and did nerd things with each other. Maybe they'd let Naruto join them. She heard Naruto sigh loudly as she grabbed the handle of a door and swung it open.

"Yo! Nerds! Pure sexiness has arrived!" She announced herself to the populace and all sets of eyes descended on the pair of shinobi. Naruto resisted the urge to groan, this was already off to a bad start.

"Is that...?"

"It's her..."

"The sexual harasser..."

Katsuragi giggled and Naruto was convinced something was truly wrong with her.

"Yes, don't forget it! Now, I have a favor to ask all of you." Katsuragi's words caused raised eyebrows all around the room, and a bit of excitement to pass through them. The girl was notorious around campus for her actions but they couldn't deny how attractive she was.

Seeing as none of the stereotypical nerds spoke up, Katsuragi pointed a finger at the masses as they crowded around their computers and portable gaming consoles.

"I want you all..." She heard some of them hold their breath for a second. "... to allow Naruto here to hang out with you!" She pushed her breasts against Naruto happily.

Naruto's never felt that much hatred directed at him in a single moment.

"Why should we let him hang out with us?" An outspoken voice finally questioned her, and she turned to the slightly overweight boy with glasses. Each of the boys in the room looked Naruto head to toe at his question.

"Hmm. First off he can probably kick all your asses with his hands tied behind his back!" Naruto withheld from banging his head against a wall. How was that a positive? "Plus, you all look like you can use a new cool friend. Who better than this absolute cutie next to me?!" She patted Naruto on the chest carelessly.

Murmurs passed through the room and Naruto felt like he was being judged by the computer gods.

"I highly doubt he knows anything about tech or even the intricacies of a computers insides." One scrawny nerd pushed his glasses up and they glinted in the light. "However... we will test him. You must step out of the room for a second." He pointed at the busty shinobi.

"Alright!" She pumped her fist up and all eyes latched onto her bouncing bust. Her shirt strained to contain her huge chest and everyone noticed. Naruto felt irritated now. "I'll be waiting outside for the good news Naru-kun." Katsuragi left the room without sparing another glance at the others.

Standing awkwardly, Naruto felt the tension in the room.

"Naruto, correct? We suppose you can hang out with us on one condition." The head nerd, as Naruto classified him, explained.

"I thought you would test me on computer knowledge or whatever?" He didn't expect it to be that easy.

"Hm. Originally we would but seeing as you know Katsuragi-san... we would like you to do something."

Katsuragi whistled cheerfully as she stood outside the room and watched students roam the hallways for a few minutes. Just as she was about to get bored, the room door opened up and a blank faced Naruto walked out.

"Hey! How'd it-" Before she could ask, Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled her with him. Katsuragi shut her mouth immediately at feeling his larger hand encompass her own.

"We have to find other people. I failed their little test." Naruto told her quickly and Katsuragi felt a grin forming.

"Are you lying?" From her position, she saw a tiny bit of red color his whiskered cheeks.

"No. They just wouldn't be good friends."

Katsuragi giggled madly and Naruto tugged on her hand more.

There was no way he would steal her panties and give them to a bunch of nerds. He didn't feel bad about breaking the glasses of a few of them either.

At this rate, he'll never make any friends.

* * *

"What is she doing now?" Ikaruga wondered as she sat with her team. They watched Katsuragi and Naruto run all over campus during their lunch.

"Something perverted." Yagyū was willing to bet her life on it.

"I don't know Yagyū-chan. Naruto-kun wouldn't join her." Hibari munched on a cookie and tracked her teammates as they weaved between crowds of students.

"Definitely not. Katsu-nee and Naruto-kun are very alike but he wouldn't do that stuff with her." Asuka's felt her face heat up as she thought about Naruto doing some of the things Katsuragi prides herself on.

"I told Naruto-san to spend some time studying. It seems like she has distracted him once again." Ikaruga couldn't comprehend how easily Katsuragi connected with Naruto.

"Katsuragi-chan likes Naruto-kun." Hibari smiled while watching the two blondes approach a table of boys. Her Hanzo teammates turned to her curiously. They talked about this before but dismissed it quickly.

"You mean in _that _way Hibari-chan?" Asuka put some emphasis on the word. While she may be a shinobi, she still enjoyed relationship gossip to some degree.

"Mhm!" Hibari confirmed with a simple noise.

"How do you know? Despite the fact that we are shinobi and that is most certainly not encouraged, I don't see how you could tell." Ikaruga knew Katsuragi the longest, yet she struggled to figure the girl out. Sometimes she was convinced the whole pervert thing was an act.

"Her eyes! Look at how she looks at him." Hibari pointed out before reaching for another cookie, making Yagyū tap her hand lightly. She pouted at her teammate stopping her daily intake of sweets.

"She looks at us all that way. Usually before she gropes us." Yagyū wasn't technically wrong with that statement but Hibari shook her head.

"Nuh-uh. She's _really_ happy."

The Hanzo girls went silent and contemplated the meaning behind Hibari's words. Ikaruga spared another glance at her fellow third year while she brought Naruto to a new table.

Wasn't Katsuragi always happy?

* * *

"Sooo... can he join you?" Katsuragi questioned a trio of boys while still pressing herself to Naruto. Her teammate was already tired of her attempt at finding him friends.

"I guess?" A rather plain looking black haired boy shrugged while he sat with his friends.

"Awesome! Have fun Naru-kun, I'll see you later." Naruto's eye twitched when she smacked his ass before walking away.

"Um... I'm Kazumi. This is Hideo and Isao. Nice to meet you man." The same boy introduced himself along with his friends. Naruto smiled at them, it couldn't hurt to be friendly. At least they weren't like those computer guys.

"Like Katsuragi-chan said, I'm Naruto." He took a seat at their table and he wasn't sure what to do next.

"How do you know her? A lot of people around here aren't too fond of her." Kazumi spoke and his friends nodded in agreement.

"Oh. I'm in her classes and we kind of became friends after I transferred here. That's all." Naruto felt uncomfortable and he wasn't exactly sure why.

"That's cool. What school did you attend before Hanzo Academy?" Kazumi was just an ordinary boy, as were his friends. While they weren't crazy about talking with a stranger, they would never be rude.

"I was home schooled." His smile was strained but luckily they didn't catch it.

"I'm jealous!" The one named Hideo shouted and looked to his friends. Naruto took in his features for a second as well. Shoulder length black hair and a generally friendly face. He was just as normal as Kazumi... "If I was home schooled, imagine how much time I could have on fixing up that motorcycle with my father?!" He spoke to his group.

"How is that coming along by the way?" Kazumi seemed equally as excited as his friend when talking about the vehicle.

"It's actually going great! Eventually I'll be able to take that bad boy out!" Hideo grinned at the thought and his friends followed suit.

"If I was home schooled I'd be able to focus a lot more time on baseball. Though I would probably try to get out of doing my schoolwork." The last of the trio spoke up. Isao actually appeared somewhat different than his friends. He had brown hair that was cut short and Naruto could tell he kept himself in shape. Probably because he enjoyed sports.

"Hey, are we still on for next weekend? Remember, my dad got us tickets to the game." Kazumi questioned his friends.

"You know it!"

"Of course bro."

Naruto tapped his foot against the ground quietly. He really felt out of place here. These guys were just normal. Completely normal. They didn't know anything about shinobi life, and it was all for the better. They could enjoy their time hanging out and building normal bonds without fear of breaking them.

"What about you Naruto? Do you like baseball?" Isao asked him with a friendly smile.

"Uh... yeah! Love it!" He wasn't sure why he lied. Maybe he wanted to fit in?

"Nice! Hey, how's about next time we get tickets we bring you along then?" Isao practically disregarded the fact that they just met because he was a fellow lover of the sport.

"That would be great." His own smile was ridiculously fake and Naruto faintly heard Kurama grumble from the seal.

Before Isao can ask him some more questions, Hideo swore quietly while looking at his watch.

"Lunch is about to end. Damn... back to class." His friends groaned at the pain of having to finish another school day.

For Naruto, after lunch was strictly shinobi training. It was something else he couldn't relate to.

"Naruto? You seem like a chill guy. We usually come here for lunch so don't hesitate to come sit with us." Kazumi picked up on how tense Naruto appeared. He knew it must be hard to meet new people like that. Kazumi wondered how someone like Naruto could get along with that weirdo Katsuragi.

"Huh? Definitely. Thanks ya know." This was the first time he's spoken with individuals who were the definition of the word normal and he wasn't sure how to react.

They all gave him a friendly wave before splitting up and moving towards their respective classes. Naruto remained at the table and released a sigh.

'**Meh. You don't need these wimps. You have me as a friend.' **Kurama noticed the emotions of its host. Even in a different world, Naruto struggled with being ordinary.

'Great. I'll add you to the list next to a good shinobi that hates me and an old man that stares at his granddaughters boobs.'

'**I better be number one on the list.'**

* * *

Katsuragi stretched her aching body after an intense spar with her fellow third year. The class rep appeared to be distracted during their fight, but that didn't stop Ikaruga from tossing her around.

'Those thin arms have a lot of power behind them.' Katsuragi admired her teammates body for a minute before looking away. Her face lit up when she saw Naruto approach the training room with Asuka right on his heels. That was his usual sparring partner whenever Kiriya assigned them to train with each other.

Asuka's outfit was torn and ripped from whatever training went down, while Naruto looked perfectly fine.

"I almost got you with that last attack Naruto-kun." The granddaughter of Hanzo cutely pouted at him. Naruto laughed and ruffled her hair like a child.

"I don't know Asuka-chan, you're still a little clumsy."

"Am not!"

Katsuragi watched her teammate glare at Naruto before dropping it in a fit of giggles.

'You're weird Naruto.' Katsuragi thought to herself with an odd expression. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she looked over to Ikaruga.

"I'm going to shower. I advise you to do the same." Despite her own outfit tears and messy hair, Ikaruga somehow held a sense of modesty.

"Yeah... maybe I'll come surprise you!" She went about her usual routine of threatening to grope her before Ikaruga locked eyes with her again.

"It's not necessary to act like that all the time Katsuragi-san." With her piece said, she walked out of the training room after bidding Asuka and Naruto a small goodbye as she passed them.

Katsuragi's face struggled to display what she was feeling, especially upon being called out by her friend.

"Katsu-nee? Are you okay?" Asuka's voice brought her back to reality and she realized she was staring blankly ahead.

"... Hehe! Yeah! Sorry, I was distracted by Ikaruga-chan's butt on the way out. Just look at that thing." Katsuragi put her hands on her hips and laughed to herself.

"Alright?" Asuka picked up on the fact that something was suddenly off with her friend. Naruto narrowed his eyes at Katsuragi from his position at Asuka's side.

"Hey Asuka-chan, you can go get cleaned up. I have to talk with Katsu-chan about something." The nickname he gave her was slipping out easily now. So much for not getting close to these girls.

"No problem! My back is killing me anyway, and a hot shower sounds really nice." Asuka moaned pitifully as she began to leave her teammates behind.

'**Maybe it's from those things on her chest.'**

'You know... you might be right.'

"Oh! Naru-kun, I forgot to ask. How did it go with those guys?" Katsuragi noticed him start to space out just like she previously did.

"Honestly, they aren't bad people. In fact they are very nice but..." Naruto struggled to describe his problem. "They are normal? I didn't even know how to talk to them." It was like they lived in two different worlds. Which wasn't entirely false in Naruto's case.

"Ah... I get it. I'm sorry for forcing you to make friends with random people." Katsuragi's smile died down after hearing him speak. "I just wanted you to have some people outside of our little group to talk with. Maybe you were getting bored being around us or something." She was curious as to where he disappeared to on weekends. Sure they texted occasionally, but it was like he was busy constantly. Or he was purposely avoiding them…

"I'm not mad about what you did. I realized I need to really get used to talking to people that aren't shinobi." The company he kept at Hebijo were far from normal as well. "Believe me I'm not bored of you girls." He heard Kurama snort and comment something about his mission.

"That's great because I really-" Katsuragi shut her mouth in a snap. Naruto furrowed his brow in confusion when she shook her head and gave him a big smile. Almost too big. "Of course you aren't bored! You're lucky you get to hang around all this during the week!" She ran her hands up and down her curvy form.

"Well you smell like sweat right now. Am I really lucky?" While he was confused about her change in behavior, he took the opportunity to mess with her.

Katsuragi sputtered indignantly at him, trying to deny the fact that she smelled. Seeing Naruto begin to laugh, she felt her face heat up and she decided to get some payback. Sliding up to him, she pressed her body against his and ran her hand across his chest.

"Maybe you can come wash my back _Naru-kun_..." Katsuragi expected a couple normal reactions from him. A half naked girl rubbing herself against him should cause something to happen.

"Helping a sweaty girl shower? No thanks!" He gave her a closed eye grin, something that looked so natural on his face. This was his own revenge for dragging him around to random guys all afternoon.

"Keep making fun of me and I'll kick your ass!" She backed away from him and rose her leg threateningly. The nerve of this... this...

"Every time you lift your leg like that, I can see _everything_." She was shocked at his lack of embarrassment. He really was weird.

"It's my fighting style!"

"Hmm..."

"Don't mock me!"

"Come on sweaty Katsu-chan, wanna fight?" Naruto ducked down to avoid a kick that sailed over his head.

Peeking into the room from the doorway was Asuka and Ikaruga. They watched Katsuragi kick wildly at Naruto as he danced away from each attack.

"Huh... maybe Hibari-chan was right." Asuka whispered to her teammate.

Ikaruga had no experience with topics such as these. However, seeing Katsuragi's blinding smile as she ran at Naruto was more than enough proof.

For whatever reason, Ikaruga wasn't sure why that unnerved her. Naruto was their teammate, he wouldn't do anything to hurt them.

'Right... Naruto-san?'

* * *

**A/N - **Yeah not a long chapter but like I said, these are just mini side chapters because there's too many things I want to include in the main story.

If it messes with the flow of the story for anyone, I'm sorry but I'm gonna be putting one out after each chapter lol. I prefer this over including a 'omake' section after each chapter.

I'm still trying to spend more time writing but with all this free time, video games are consuming my life once more lmao.

Thanks for reading :)


	21. Crushed Dreams

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

"We've waited long enough. I'll give your team one week." Holding up a single finger, the mountainous form of Dōgen spoke to a lone shinobi.

"Are we retrieving the scroll...?" Homura hid her conflicted emotions well. She found it odd how Dōgen was seated at Reo's desk. He certainly wasn't the one who was in charge of the school, yet he sat there like he owned it. She hasn't seen Reo in some time actually.

"That is the main objective. Your team can choose the method behind obtaining it, that doesn't matter to me." There was something sinister stirring behind his eyes. "Please ensure that Naruto-kun chooses the correct side. I know he's been spending more time with those silly girls."

Biting her tongue, as to not question how he knew about that, Homura simply nodded.

"You're all incredibly skilled shinobi, I'd hate to lose any of you so soon." She knew his smile contained a hidden meaning, but she was no fool. Asking for clarification would get her nowhere.

Bowing, Homura waited to be dismissed. A stern "leave" was all she needed before spinning on her heel and exiting the darkened room.

Stepping into one of the large hallways of Hebijo, Homura turned her head to the individuals who were waiting outside.

"So... what's our mission, Homura-chan?" Haruka questioned, standing near Hikage. Nowadays, those two were a lot closer.

"We have one week until we are sent to obtain the scroll from Hanzo Academy." Homura began to walk alongside her group.

"Oh my, that doesn't leave us with much time to prepare." Yomi tilted her head in Homura's direction.

"We'll be fine." Hikage shrugged carelessly, not at all worried about fighting other shinobi.

"I don't know..." Mirai frowned while looking down at her feet, her self-confidence was still not very high. A soft hand patted her on the head, causing her to shyly peek up to see Haruka's smile.

"You have nothing to worry about. Don't forget, my darling is going to be there too. Nobody will hurt you." Haruka reassured her teammate.

"That's the problem." Homura grumbled with a frustrated expression. "You don't think he'll... do anything stupid right?" She aimed that question towards the whole team, but she expected the best answer from Hikage or Haruka.

"No." Hikage's one worded response didn't exactly reassure Homura.

"I mean he did go out for ramen with this 'Katsuragi' again." Haruka watched Hikage from the corner of her eye, wanting a good reaction. "Maybe he'll leave Hebi-chan behind and take this new girl instead."

"And he wouldn't leave you?" Hikage wasted no time in firing back.

"Of course not!" Haruka winked at her teammate. "I give him plenty of reasons not to."

"Whore."

"Only for Naruto-kun."

Yomi jumped into action of playing peacemaker with the two bickering girls. Mirai looked torn at picking a side to help.

Homura simply watched from the sidelines now. This was supposed to be the elite team of Hebijo who were set on taking down good shinobi. From their interactions alone... outsiders wouldn't even be able to tell.

'I hope you make the right choice, bastard.'

* * *

"That's wrong! You've chosen wrong, Naru-kun!" Katsuragi stuck her tongue out at the boy in front of her. "I am the winner, again."

Naruto glared at the piece of paper in front of him. Somehow she kept beating him at 'tic-tac-toe' and he was convinced she was cheating. There was no way he was losing in such a childish game.

"She's not cheating, you just make dumb decisions." Yagyū overlooked the paper with disinterest.

"Kicking me under the table doesn't count as cheating?" Naruto accused the blonde girl across from him.

"Nope! It doesn't stop you from using a pencil, and they were just love taps... or love kicks." Her cheery grin was almost infectious.

"Naruto-kun, you can have a cookie. Maybe it'll make you feel better. You lost multiple times after all..." Hibari shyly offered him a treat. The younger girl was still somewhat nervous around him, but she was improving.

Naruto glanced at the snack before him. His episode with Kurama's chakra left the girl shaken, and she hasn't recovered fully. That entire messy situation continued to bother him, and Kiriya couldn't give him a clear answer on where the intel came from.

"Supposedly a trustworthy source." Was Kiriya's explanation.

'It's a bunch of bullshit.' Naruto's eyes darkened. Supposedly... sure.

"Naruto-kun?" Hibari asked him nervously, easily noticing his intense stare on the cookie.

Closing his eyes to clear his thoughts, Naruto gently took the cookie from her hand and gave her a smile.

"Thanks Hibari-chan. Don't give Katsu-chan any though, she ate so much ramen for lunch that she'll blow up if she eats anything else." His comment left Katsuragi stunned.

"H-Hey! Are you saying I'm getting fat?! Just because I can eat more than you, doesn't mean I'm gaining weight!" She jumped onto the table quickly and crouched to get closer to him. Her position was completely unladylike. Having a girls panties in his direct line of sight was normal at this point.

"My lips are sealed." Naruto added fuel to the fire.

Across the room and pretending to read a textbook, Ikaruga studied Naruto. His playful nature and words completely contradicted how he was on their last big mission. The power, the abilities, everything. She's never heard of a shinobi like him.

'I still don't have any answers... Kiriya-sensei seemed just as surprised when I mentioned it to him.'

"Katsuragi! You just got spit all over my cookie!"

"Good! Don't call me fat!"

Ikaruga wasn't sure how he could even be a shinobi sometimes. Outside of combat, he seemed too genuine, too caring, and carefree.

The shinobi room door opened and Asuka strolled in to witness the scene of Katsuragi wrestling a disgusted Naruto on the floor.

"Is this training?" The granddaughter of Hanzo was rightfully confused.

"It's idiotic." Yagyū remained glued to Hibari's side as her two teammates continued to playfully fight.

"It looks fun." Hibari's smile radiated purity, making Yagyū avert her eyes in embarrassment.

"Naruto-kun! Katsu-nee! I'll join you!" Asuka jumped right into the pair and tumbled on the floor.

Ikaruga pinched the bridge of her nose when both girls unintentionally suffocated Naruto with their breasts.

They were supposed to be a team that could reach an elite status and take out evil shinobi. The scene playing out before her completely contradicted that statement.

'I suppose we have plenty of time in the future to be ruthless shinobi.'

Ikaruga left behind her textbook and joined her bickering teammates.

* * *

Later that same night, Naruto returned to his silent Hebijo team. Their shinobi room almost seemed tense, and Suzune stood by the door, watching him like a hawk.

"Yo...?" Naruto searched the faces of every girl, each looked like they wanted to speak up, but Homura beat them all to it.

"We are attacking Hanzo Academy in one week." She blurted it out quickly, wanting to hear his response. After a moment of silence, he sighed deeply.

"So it's finally happening... huh?" Naruto couldn't say he was surprised. There was no doubt that this was in Dōgen's plans from the start.

"I've been briefed fully. Through the reports you've given on the shinobi, and our own intel, it's enough to send your team in." Suzune's tone was strictly professional.

"The main goal is some stupid scroll right?" Naruto's question made Suzune raise an eyebrow.

"A very important and powerful scroll. It could aid Hebijo and our shinobi greatly." She really wasn't sure about letting something like that get into Dōgen's hands. Regardless, it was out of her control for the time being.

"And the shinobi of Hanzo Academy..." Naruto faced his squads teacher. "What about them?"

"If they prove to be a threat, they need to be eliminated. There will no doubt be witnesses, but you can take some out." Suzune relayed the information in Homura's place, the girl didn't seem keen on speaking up right now.

"I'm not killing them." Naruto told her, his tone leaving little room for argument. Suzune frowned while looking over each Hebijo shinobi. The thought of taking out good shinobi didn't seem to affect the girls, but Naruto was different. He was sent there to spy on them, and although his reports were lacking, he became too close with his targets. It was a mistake, one that couldn't be rectified this late into the mission. He'd simply have to deal with it.

"If they attack your team with the intent to kill, what will you do? Would you sacrifice these girls for them?" Suzune didn't enjoy the look on Naruto's face, but she had to make him understand.

"Never." Naruto responded with no hesitation. "I'll protect them until the day I die." His conviction truly shocked Homura. Hikage and Haruka stared lovingly at the boy, while Yomi and Mirai felt safe in his presence. "But I... promised to protect the other girls too..." He admitted to them sheepishly. The room became silent again, and Hikage's eyes turned dull.

'Of course he did.' She loved him more than anything, though he was too-

"You're such a softy, darling." Haruka shook her head with a smile. She somehow finished Hikage's thoughts for her.

"You can't keep every promise you make in life, Naruto. Realistically, the Hanzo team will try to take out any threats to their school. Since you all are evil shinobi, they will try their hardest to kill or capture you. Whether you played nice with them or not, you're going to be betraying them." Suzune spoke only truths to the boy. She came from that side of shinobi, and for all the positives they preached, they could be just as cruel.

"You don't know them. They aren't like that." Naruto defended the Hanzo team, knowing the girls would never be vicious.

"And they don't truly know you. You haven't been with them for too long, they could be putting a facade up as well." Suzune made a fair point, and as much as Naruto wanted to refute it, he couldn't fault her for her line of thinking.

"Naruto, you have people that... love you here. Don't forget that." Suzune couldn't believe she was talking about the topic of love in an _evil_ shinobi school. 'He really caused this...' Her words instantly caused the mood in the room to change.

"I-I do not love him! Don't just say shit like that!" Homura's face was tinted red, pointing an angry finger at Naruto. "He's a gigantic idiot, I don't know what Hikage and Haruka see in him. Nobody needs his weak ass protection anyway." Her wavering voice completely betrayed her statements.

Naruto began to laugh, further embarrassing Homura. The other girls joined soon after, laughing together for no real reason.

Suzune knew things wouldn't go smoothly. There was no conceivable way that Naruto would follow things fully.

'I'll let them have this moment though. I have a feeling things are about to get a lot harder for them.'

Rin's face cracked into a very small smile.

* * *

Nearing the end of the week, Katsuragi rocked back and forth on a swing with a concentrated expression.

She noticed Naruto acting strangely for the past few days now. She wasn't sure about his home life, or those other friends he mentioned, but something was bothering him.

'Was it something I said? He hasn't been texting me much...' Katsuragi chewed on her lip. She stood up at night thinking about her own actions towards Naruto. For years now, she was fully committed to just her shinobi lifestyle and occasionally indulging in her unsavory habit of groping girls. Meeting Naruto, it allowed her to experience something that she thought was a thing of the past.

Fun. Simple fun.

She enjoyed every second of joking around with him. Arguing, fighting, eating, it didn't really matter. After her parents left her, she put on a smile, laughed proudly, and acted tough. She was anything but that. Nobody knew how much she cried at night, thinking about her family and worrying about her future.

The attitude she displayed to the world was not entirely fake, though she exaggerated things. Grabbing other girls was a way for her to flip the mood in certain situations. It was a way to get laughter from some, or disdain from others. That wasn't to say she didn't enjoy the feeling of rubbing some soft... big...

'I'm getting off track here.' Shaking her head roughly, she focused back on Naruto. The only boy she ever felt like she could connect to.

"And here I was thinking I only liked girls." Chuckling to herself, she froze when she heard a snort come from behind her.

"So you don't?"

Turning her head almost robotically, Katsuragi faced Naruto with wide eyes.

"Should I let all the girls know that 'Katsuragi The Sexual Harasser' is no more?" Naruto grinned at her flushed cheeks.

"Shut up..." She muttered but couldn't keep her own smile from appearing. He was acting standoffish all week and hearing him like this made her happy.

Placing himself on the swing next to her, Naruto sat in silence. He didn't need Kurama's help to know something was bothering Katsuragi. He saw her sitting on the swings for some time, thinking hard for whatever reason.

"Naru-kun?" Katsuragi called him softly. "I know we just got ramen recently... but can we go again? Is that alright? If you're not hungry that's cool, I'm not really hungry either and um..." Naruto's snickering cut her off.

"I just realized that I know a lot of weird girls." He paid little attention to Katsuragi's curious "Huh?". He wouldn't elaborate on that topic. "I'd never deny ramen. You wanna ditch training today and grab some?" He held a fist out to the girl, an action that felt very familiar to him.

"You know it." Pounding her fist against his, she mirrored his grin perfectly.

"We better get out of here quickly. Ikaruga-chan's been looking for me and I really don't want to do math right now." Naruto pulled Katsuragi off the swing and the girl allowed it. She offered no resistance to his hand grasping her own.

"Come on, I'll lead the way." Naruto walked ahead, letting her stare at the back of his brightly colored hair.

"You actually remember where it is? I thought you were horrible with directions." Katsuragi teased him.

"Clones. I actually had a bunch go out and map out the city in my free time. I got tired of getting lost and depending on..." Naruto became quiet while thinking about his Hebijo girls.

"Oh... okay." She wasn't sure why he became silent. "I was meaning to ask you more about those clones. Asuka-chan said you were able to use a bunch of them at once." Katsuragi was always interested in cool shinobi techniques, and Naruto's duplicates seemed amazing.

"Yup. Kurama says that if I go all out, I could make thousands." Naruto heard his partner grumble about 'arrogant brats' through their link.

"T-Thousands...?!" Katsuragi sputtered, her mouth open in shock. That wasn't human. Thousands of duplicates. Thousands of naked, sweaty, Naruto clones... 'Wait... who's Kurama?'

"Who's Kurama?" She felt the need to voice her question or it would eat away at her. She really wanted to know everything involving Naruto.

'**My name is one of power and destruction. Stop giving it out freely to people.' **Kurama growled lowly at Naruto.

'Sorry. I didn't realize who I was talking to for a second.' The Hanzo girls knew next to nothing about Kurama. Only Hikage and Haruka knew the whole truth... he had to tell the others soon.

"Kurama is my summon. The one who shared power with me on our last mission." Naruto reminded himself to limit the amount of information he revealed, he still had a mission, whether he wanted to complete it or not.

"Wow. Kurama must be super strong then."

"Yeah..."

Their conversation died there, neither wanting to discuss that night. The rest of the trip into town to acquire ramen was filled with silence. Katsuragi kept her gaze on their interlocked hands. 'He's a touchy person... I guess I'm the same.' She felt good to have something else in common with him.

"We are here." Naruto told her as the ramen bar came into view. "One day I want to own a ramen place of my own, ya know?" He revealed his hidden dream to her.

"Really? That would actually be great. Would you hire me?" She elbowed him playfully. "If you did, we'd probably never get any work done."

"We definitely wouldn't. We'd just eat all the ramen ourselves and make no money. Our business would be closed in a week." Naruto chuckled as he took a seat.

"True! We can have Ikaruga-chan work with us as our manager, she'd make sure we actually make a profit."

"You're right. Yagyū-chan could work alongside her, she's super serious all the time too." Naruto and Katsuragi sat side by side, waiting for their orders to be taken.

"Oh, oh! Asuka-chan and Hibari-chan would definitely be a part of our advertisement team. They have that cute look that would make people buy into whatever their selling." Katsuragi enjoyed the imaginary idea of owning a restaurant with Naruto. It was... nice.

"Wait... do you even know how to make ramen?" Naruto turned to her, blinking owlishly.

"I never tried." Katsuragi admitted pitifully. She could definitely learn though, she was pretty good in the kitchen. "What about you?"

"I've made my own once or twice, but I'm a master when it comes to instant ramen."

"Naru-kun... really?"

They laughed together until their orders were taken.

"Hey, what about we have one final contest?" Naruto asked Katsuragi, making her tilt her head in confusion.

"Are you throwing in the towel on being ramen king? I earned that title long ago."

Naruto's smile was a little more strained. This would be the last time they'd do this after all.

"Let's see if you can hold that title this time, Katsu-chan."

"You're on!"

Katsuragi really hoped that ramen dream would come true. They'd need something to do after retiring from their shinobi lifestyle. If Asuka's grandfather could do it, why couldn't they?

'I'm really excited to graduate with him...'

She loved being with Ikaruga, but she knew who she'd be taking missions with in the future.

* * *

The sunset was beautiful as the ramen duo walked the lit up streets. It was reminiscent of the first time they went to eat together, except this time they skipped training completely.

"It's this train station right? It's always so dead." Naruto carried the girl on his back again.

"Yeah, I don't exactly live in a populated area." Katsuragi pressed her cheek to his spiky hair.

"On the bright side, it's nice to have some privacy sometimes, right?" Naruto walked up onto the platform where she'd wait for the train.

"Sometimes it's nice. I told you before, you should totally come visit. We can train or watch a movie or..." She trailed off awkwardly.

"I'd... like that." Due to her position on his back, she couldn't see his dejected face. "Alright, time to get down." Tapping her thigh, the same way he'd do to the Hebijo girls, he signaled her to release him.

"Nah. Maybe I want to stay like this." Katsuragi pressed herself closer to him, her soft chest squishing against his back. "Getting a ride from a hunk, did I win the lottery?"

"No, but you did win the contest again." Naruto pouted childishly.

"You already know I'm the undisputed ramen king, Naru-kun." She patted him on the cheek. "Don't worry, you can be my queen. It would be perfect if you could turn into a girl or something."

"... Haha... that'd be crazy." Naruto choked on his saliva when he heard her mention that. He _could _turn into a girl. He absolutely feared her reaction.

Lights from the tracks and a distinctive screech alerted the shinobi. Katsuragi sighed dramatically before sliding off his body.

"Stupid train. Ruining my Naru-kun time..." In that moment, Naruto compared Katsuragi to Hikage and Haruka. The way she spoke to him was almost a strange mix of the two. Almost.

"Well, there's my train." Katsuragi put her hands on her hips and looked up at him.

"Have a safe trip home, okay?" Naruto watched her smile widen.

"Psh, as long as I got these, nobody could hurt me." Katsuragi pulled her skirt up slightly to reveal more of her thick thighs. Naruto deadpanned at her and shook his head.

"Of course." The train finally pulled up to its stop at the dead station.

"I'm off then. Thanks for the fun time Naru-kun, I'll text you while I'm bored on the train." Katsuragi cheekily saluted him. She wanted to hug him, but something held her back.

"Katsuragi." Naruto's tone dropped from its usual upbeat one. "I have to tell you something."

Searching his face, Katsuragi figured it was serious to warrant such an expression.

"Shoot. I don't have long though, the train and all." Ruffling her own long hair, she waited for him to speak.

"I..."

'**Think clearly.' **Kurama stopped him short of revealing anything.

"I'm really glad that I met you and the rest of the girls." His sincere statement made her light up.

"Hehe~" Katsuragi was sure she looked silly now. "I'm glad I met you too, you're an amazing person. I just hate when you run away and hide things." She wanted to slap a hand over her mouth when telling him that. Naruto appeared to be shocked for a second.

"... I did do that after our last mission and during the week. I'm sorry." That was the best apology he could give now.

"You can make it up to me with more dates." Katsuragi spun and ran to the train doors, leaving the bewildered boy behind.

"Huh...? Dates? You mean favors?" Naruto's confusion made her giggle.

"If that's what ya wanna call them." Waving, she waited for the doors to open. "See you next week!" Blowing him a teasing kiss, she disappeared onto the train.

Naruto stood and watched the train leave the station, Katsuragi's exaggerated waving continued until she lost sight of him.

"See you next week... Katsuragi."

* * *

A bright and early Monday morning greeted Katsuragi as the bouncy blonde arrived at Hanzo Academy. Jogging up to her team, who waited outside for her, she gave them a megawatt smile.

"Someone must be in a good mood." Ikaruga spoke when seeing her fellow third year.

"I am! I did a lot of thinking recently. I have some new plans for this year and the future!" Katsuragi pointed a finger at her team.

"That's great! I also have big plans!" Asuka told her with determination plastered on her face.

"Now I want to have big plans like them..." Hibari sulked next to Yagyū. The silver haired girl patted her on the back softly.

"You can. You just have to work extra hard, okay Hibari-chan?" Yagyū whispered to her fellow first year.

"Mhm!" Her noise of confrontation made Yagyū smile proudly.

"Having goals is nice and all, but don't forget to keep up with your school work and training. Katsuragi-san, you deemed it necessary to skip training with Naruto-san last week." Ikaruga channeled her inner class rep and chided the girl

"Come on! I finally made him give up on his pointless pursuit of being ramen king. I'd say it was worth skipping training just the one time." Katsuragi defended her actions.

"Where is Naruto-kun? He's usually never this late..." Asuka reached into her bag and checked her phone. No notifications from the boy telling them that he'd be late... that was weird.

"Maybe he got lost. He does that." Yagyū wasn't sure how someone could get lost so often in their school. He tended to wander the hallways aimlessly.

"Nope, not anymore! He made a bunch of clones and had them explore the city!" Katsuragi hyped up the boys skills. "He said he could make like thousands of them. Imagine the possibilities." The perverted undertones made Asuka blush.

"That still doesn't explain why he would be-"

Ikaruga froze in place when a faint purple barrier was erected around the entire academy.

"A _Shinobi Kekkai_." Yagyū narrowed her uncovered eye, preparing herself for a fight.

"People are really attacking us here?" Katsuragi didn't even get her morning stretches in. "It's probably some losers looking for payback."

"Not exactly." The females voice made Asuka widen her eyes. She knew that voice!

Before the tense Hanzo group, five shadows dropped down from the high entrance of the academy.

"Who are you...?" Ikaruga searched their faces. She didn't recognize any of them. Although, the blonde one with the longest skirt was glaring at her with disgust.

"Long time no see, Jugs." The tan girl threw a smirk Asuka's way.

"Homura-chan?!" Asuka yelled, shocking her teammates. How did she know her?

"The one and only." Giving a cocky bow, Homura eyed the girls distastefully. "This is what he likes? What's wrong with that bastard? Tch, he has no taste."

"Homura."

"Homura-chan."

The green haired girl and the other blonde called the name out with an underlying threat in their tone.

"Y-Yeah... whatever." Homura coughed to regain her composure. She would not be embarrassed in front of some weak good shinobi. "Anyway! We are from Hebijo Academy, a school for evil shinobi. It's nice to meet you all." The Hanzo group knew she was being sarcastic, her cocky grin spoke volumes.

"What the hell do you all want?" Katsuragi kept glancing at the snake eyed shinobi. There was something about that girl that made her uneasy.

"Oh you know... just a certain scroll." Homura caught the way Ikaruga's eyes narrowed. "Great, so you do know about it." Crossing her arms, the Hanzo girls could practically feel the bloodlust in the air.

"There's no way we will give up anything to you." Ikaruga shot a look to her team and they wasted no time in transforming.

"Hahaha! That's so cute!" Homura laughed mockingly at their clothing.

"That outfit looks very expensive." The comment was directed at Ikaruga from the younger blonde and she felt unnerved from the hate filled gaze piercing her.

"Hmm... I don't know who's cuter. The pink haired one or our little Mirai-chan here." The oldest looking girl in their group studied Hibari.

"Haruka-san!" Mirai hid her face behind her hands, she refused to show these good shinobi her blushing face.

"What do you think, Hebi-chan?" Haruka bumped hips with her blank faced teammate.

"I really don't care."

"So cold. You're lucky I love you."

"Shut up."

Katsuragi felt her heart clench when hearing the name. 'Hebi-chan? No... it has to be a coincidence.' She couldn't jump to conclusions. She couldn't.

"Well if you're not going to just give it up peacefully..." Homura narrowed her eyes at Asuka. The girl looked personally offended that the nice girl who recovered her wallet would show up here as an enemy.

Before anyone could move, Homura started chuckling. "Oh, look who finally showed up."

The Hanzo girls followed her gaze and to their shock and elation, Naruto stood behind them. Clad in his Hanzo Academy uniform, he kept his gaze on the Hebijo girls exclusively. That mattered little to Katsuragi, she practically lit up at seeing him.

"Naru-kun!" She moved over to him and punched him on the arm. "You're just in time. These girls will stand no chance now." She was confident in their abilities, but Naruto being here guaranteed a win.

"Naruto-kun! I'm so happy to see you." Asuka mimicked Katsuragi's joy. "Can you believe that nice girl we met is an evil shinobi?!" She pointed at the smirking Homura.

"Naruto-san, please transform and let's finish this quickly." Ikaruga nodded respectfully at the stationary member of their team.

"Will we be alright, Yagyū-chan?" Hibari whispered to her friend.

"Yes. Remember his promise." Yagyū sent a small smile his way.

"Oh now this... this just makes me feel bad." Homura muttered, actually giving the Hanzo girls a look of pity. 'Sucks to be them.' She was on the receiving end of Naruto's ass beatings too many times.

"Naru-kun? You good?" Katsuragi looked up into blue eyes. Getting no response, she grabbed his hand.

"Naru-"

"Let him go."

The girl nicknamed Hebi-chan called out to Katsuragi.

"Excuse me? Why should I listen to you? Naru-kun here is my hunk. Stay over there and I'll deal with those big titties in a second." Katsuragi stuck her tongue out at the Hebijo shinobi.

"I like her. Don't you agree, Hikage-chan?"

"Haruka. Thin ice."

"Oh my."

Naruto slipped his hand out of Katsuragi's, much to his Hanzo teammates confusion.

Walking directly up to Homura, they fully expected the strong third year to punch the girl, which Katsuragi wouldn't have minded.

"Good morning, fox bastard." The way Homura looked at him with familiarity didn't sit well with any of the Hanzo girls.

"You really had to do it like this?" He spoke for the first time with disappointment.

"That's the mission." Homura shrugged, she would rather fight than be subtle.

Naruto sighed and faced the Hanzo girls one more time.

"Naru-kun? What's up...?" Katsuragi felt her stomach turn, she almost felt sick. The way he looked at them wasn't right. It felt wrong. It felt fake.

"Darling, you really are making quite the scene." Haruka's sly smile and words only amplified Katsuragi's nausea.

"Naru, get it over with." Hikage's emotionless voice was tinged with affection when she said his name. Katsuragi felt her mouth become dry.

"Naru-nii..."

"Naruto-san..."

The other two addressing him like that was the final nail in the coffin. Each Hanzo girl was drawing their own conclusions now.

"Naruto-san... no... you..." Ikaruga was the first to break out of her stupor.

"How could you?" Yagyū whispered angrily. Despite her usual attitude, being betrayed by someone she was beginning to trust hurt her.

"This is a joke, right? Naruto, you're joking." Katsuragi moved closer to him, ignoring Ikaruga's shout to move away. "You always make jokes, but now isn't the best time for one."

"Katsuragi. Do you know the location of the scroll?" Naruto questioned her, each Hebijo girl stepped closer to him.

"Stop playing around Naruto. Seriously, we can handle them. They aren't controlling you, are they?" Katsuragi's teammates words fell on deaf ears, she continued to stare at him. Asuka looked heartbroken as she watched. Meanwhile, Hibari felt fear creep up on her. How could they possibly fight him?

"Control? Oh sweetie..." Haruka's words were filled with cruel amusement. "Naruto-kun, playing with a girls heart is not nice." She felt an icy glare coming from Hikage for the comment.

"Naruto... I think this is your worst joke yet!" Katsuragi's smile was riddled with pain.

"It's not a joke." Naruto didn't want to look her in the eyes any longer. For a boy who craved friendship in two lifetimes, it was too much for him.

"We talked about our ramen restaurant, right?! I even came up with names! We could wear these cool uniforms and I drew up this banner design, I suck at drawing though, and..." Katsuragi's voice cracked.

"Enough! He is with them, he's an evil shinobi." Ikaruga never expected to say those awful words. "We have to protect our school, please Katsuragi-san."

"Naruto?" Katsuragi knew her shinobi emotional training was failing her. Her personal training too.

Naruto remained quiet, he simply pulled a special scroll out of his pocket.

One transformation later, there were blades pointed at her throat. Katsuragi felt like she truly didn't deserve to have friendships or relationships. Her parents, her friends... everyone would leave her eventually.

'Was everything a lie...?'

* * *

**A/N - **Short chapter, I know. I lost my phone recently that had pretty much everything planned out with this story so that sucked big time! Other than that, it's been one year! Holy shit, but thanks to whoever is still here waiting for this story to end lmao. Spoiler - It won't for some time.

While this one was short, I have another 'shinobi heart' chapter already written, and I plan to start writing the next chapter asap.

I know some people dropped the story because the updates are so slow (compared to last summer) but cmonnnn... I'm never plannin on abandoning this. This was my first story, my baby. No matter if people feel its cliché, actual trash, or anything in between, I love it. And as long as even one person keeps reading, I'll keep posting.

Also, there's more people translating my story into Spanish now. Apparently there's even one on wattpad, so that's a thing. Luckily, this guy asked for permission... after the fact but whatever I don't own anything here, so it doesn't really matter. The first time got me salty though, I admit it lmao.

Thanks for sticking around :)


	22. Shinobi Heart - Sharing Is Caring

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

**Smut incoming. Oh no no no.**

* * *

Haruka did not consider herself a voyeur. Growing up isolated, Haruka had little interaction with others besides the very brief period of time with Naruto and Hikage. Now that she was in a very unique relationship, she didn't plan on jumping into bed with Naruto immediately. That wasn't her goal from the start, and she swore to herself not to be like her father. She's never done much with her boyfriend outside of some touching here or there. Still, she could not deny her overwhelming curiosity.

Naruto and Hikage weren't exactly hiding the fact that they were 'getting physical' quite often. Hikage could barely keep her hands off Naruto and he was no different. As a result of that attraction, lust, and love, they went at it like crazy. Haruka noticed that they tended to do it more in their home rather than the Hebijo dorms. She couldn't blame them considering the walls were thin and they ran the risk of having no privacy at any moment. Although Haruka was sure they probably enjoyed that thrill.

'I'm not a voyeur... I'm not...' She chewed on her lip as she repeated those words mentally.

It was the weekend and they returned to Hinata's home as per usual. Haruka and Yomi decided to join, which was a surprise to no one. The days were normal, besides the back and forth between the girls and Yomi's obsession over cheap vegetables. None of that mattered right now to the resident Hebijo puppet maker.

Haruka's eyes drank in the sight from the slightly ajar entrance to Hikage and Naruto's shared bedroom. Her hazy mind made the connection between the condoms Hikage handed off to her and the one... currently...

'I'm not... I'm not...' Those words were a chant at this point. Haruka's right hand twitched as it began a painfully slow descent to the waistband of her extremely loose sleep shorts. Yomi made them all wear some kind of pajamas, she would scream about indecency if they didn't.

The reason behind Haruka's increase in breathing and the heat building in her lower abdomen was obvious. Naruto and Hikage were both in bed together and seemed to be lost in their own world. Haruka had to give credit to her teammate, she was good at keeping her voice down. For the life of her... Haruka couldn't figure out howshe wasn't screaming to the heavens.

Hikage's pale and thick thighs were visible alongside her exposed sex. That was it. Not her face, with those yellow eyes that were probably half lidded right now. Not even her messy shoulder length green hair could be seen from Haruka's spot. Naruto was crouched over her fully and while Haruka has seen all of him before, which she admired greatly, this was different.

'Oh my... I... fuck.' Her hand successfully found its way to the destination of her own soon to be drenched slit. Her gaze locked onto the almost primal showing between the two shinobi.

Naruto practically drilled into Hikage's quivering entrance from above, and Haruka wasn't even sure what the name would be of this position. All she realized was that it's absurdly _hot_.

Haruka was not attracted to females, her verbal teasing aside. She's claimed herself to be 'Naruto-sexual' along with Hikage in the past and she stuck by it. That didn't mean she couldn't appreciate the way Hikage's body responded to Naruto's cock burying inside her.

The sounds of flesh on flesh and Naruto's grunts hit her ears. Haruka's hand started moving faster and she felt her entire body flush as a wave of heat enveloped it.

She couldn't think of anything besides what she was witnessing. Through the desire burning in her, she felt a sickening rise of jealousy. She wanted to be in that position. She wanted to be connected with Naruto like that. Haruka wasn't someone who acted submissive easily, but the way Hikage was being fucked convinced her.

The large bed in the shared room creaked under the rocking of Naruto's hips into the girl he's loved for years. Haruka knew she shouldn't be watching this.

'I... can't...' Her knees felt weak. Her hand trembled and she couldn't help fingering herself even more intensely. Right as she felt her legs about to give out, she saw Hikage wrap her own around Naruto. It was a primal position for sex, and Haruka wanted it all.

The very small rational part of Haruka's mind that remained warned her of what was going to come next. Though this wasn't something she was well versed in at all, she had a feeling she knew. With the way Naruto quickened his pace even more, it became clear to her. If she was in a joking mood, she would have commented about how strong that condom must be.

With the discovery that Naruto was finishing up or supposedly so, Haruka felt panic fill her. The door was open slightly, they'd see her when they dropped this dominating position. She couldn't close it, there was no way that it wouldn't create noise. Through all the grunts, moans, and creaking, she had a feeling they would hear the door.

Her hand reluctantly left her shorts and she stood with considerable effort. She couldn't keep her eyes away from the two lovers, but she knew she had to get to the guest room that Naruto generously allowed her to take.

Her head was scrambled as she barreled through the hallways and down the stairs of Hinata's home. Her own body was crying with need. She never noticed her usual pink hair bow was left behind.

"Haruka-san? Are you alright?" A voice called to her. Cloudy eyes noticed the green nightgown that would be considered tame if not for her busty and developed body. It was Yomi. Haruka felt her heart thump wildly in her chest. She couldn't let her know. She couldn't let her see her like this. She needed to get to her room.

"I'm not a voyeur!"

Yomi blinked in surprise as she held onto her plate of chocolate chip cookies and glass of milk. Haruka did not slow down on her way to her room and Yomi wasn't planning on shouting. It was nighttime, that was very rude.

"Vo-yeur? I'm not quite sure I know what that means… what language is that?" Innocence painted those questions as she spoke to herself. Yomi shrugged helplessly before continuing on to the living room of the moderate sized house.

She sat daintily with her snack and retrieved the television remote. With practiced ease, she changed the channel to the movie she's been anticipating all week. A love story between a rich tycoon and a poor street urchin. She loved films like these, even if they were unrealistic!

Yomi remained entirely clueless to the amount of sexual activity occurring in the house overnight as she happily munched on her freshly baked cookies.

* * *

The morning after was dreadful for Haruka. Seated at the table and awaiting breakfast, she felt her head drop periodically. All she could think about all night was the scene between the two shinobi in their bedroom.

"Doll girl?" The two teammates locked eyes and Haruka could swear there was a glint of something dangerous in that snake-like gaze.

"Hmm?" Haruka rubbed away at her tired eyes. Hikage picked up on how she easily accepted being called the usual nickname.

"Couldn't sleep?" Hikage felt her lips pull upwards for a second. Haruka thought she saw Hikage's break in expression but played it off as her lack of rest messing with her head.

"Yes, I struggled to get comfortable..." She lamely admitted to her teammate.

"Was the bed creaking loudly?"

Haruka almost jumped from her seat. She held back a wince when her knee slammed against the wood underneath the table.

"Be careful. Don't... _bang_ the table like that." Hikage had little tact. Haruka stared incredulously at her rival. Did she know?

"Okay! Breakfast is ready!" Naruto strolled into the room with Yomi at his side. They each carried a wide array of simple breakfast foods. Of course, Yomi had a large dish of cooked bean sprouts that she planned to leave out for any willing takers.

Haruka wanted to smile brightly at her darling, she really did. What appeared on her face was a weird mix of embarrassment, jealousy, and happiness. Hikage noticed it first.

"I hope you girls enjoy it. I'm really starving." Naruto sat next to Haruka, with Yomi sticking right by Hikage. His arm brushed against her own and the blonde girl resisted yelping.

"Oh my. You must have worked up quite a sweat training yesterday. Naruto-san, please do be careful." Yomi chided him lightly. Naruto grinned cheekily at her as he began eating.

"You know me Yomi-chan, I gotta put everything I got into it." Naruto laughed at Yomi's exaggerated indignant huff.

"Naru goes at it and doesn't stop. He pounds away at everything." Hikage kept her gaze on Haruka the entire time.

"That's a weird way to explain it, but sure!" Naruto gave Hikage a thumbs up.

Haruka fidgeted in her seat. Hikage knew. She wasn't sure how the girl noticed her while getting absolutely filled.

'Oh no... I'm thinking about it again.' Haruka's plate remained untouched as she started breathing faster.

"Is the training hard? I know you still use all those clones constantly." Yomi took a bite of her bean sprout infested breakfast while asking him.

"It's very hard. He is really good now at drilling away... with his _Rasengan_." Hikage ate her meal like she wasn't destroying Haruka's psyche.

"Haha! I have gotten better at using my jutsu. Kurama is a real slave driver." Naruto groaned after stating that.

Haruka felt her stomach turning and a familiar heat begin to form in her lower body. Her fidgeting became noticeable. The usual teasing and cocky girl was nowhere to be seen.

"Haruka-chan? Is something wrong with the food?" Naruto asked as he turned to her with confusion showing on his face. He frowned when seeing that she hasn't touched anything on her plate.

Haruka wanted to tell him no, she was just a little distracted by not getting any sleep. Hikage decided to interfere again.

"Why don't you feed it to her?" Hikage smirked. She couldn't help herself. Emotions were a pain, but this pushed her over the edge. This'll teach Haruka to spy on them.

Naruto hummed to himself before figuring it couldn't hurt. He fed Hikage all the time growing up, and she hasn't dropped that habit even as they got older. Plus, Haruka was his girlfriend too, even if that situation still made his head spin.

"Hikage-san? What's so funny?" Yomi saw Hikage's usual expression crack.

"Nothing. I don't do funny."

"You're smiling."

"Eat your sprouts."

Yomi planned to do that anyway.

Haruka let her eyes drift away from Hikage to the boy she loved. A small smile was on his face as he raised a fork to her.

"Haruka, blow on it. It could be hot. Naru always makes things so hot." Hikage instructed her.

"Please excuse me!" Haruka stood from her seat abruptly. Naruto watched her run to the guest room in surprise.

"... Is my food that bad?" He had to ask the remaining girls.

"It's delicious Naruto-san!" Yomi complimented him while finishing the vegetables she shoveled onto her plate. Naruto gave her a shaky smile. For someone who looked similar to his mother, she acted nothing like her.

"Doll girl had trouble sleeping. She probably doesn't feel too great." Hikage explained. She reached a hand across the table to grab at Haruka's uneaten plate. Naruto slapped it with the back of his fork.

"That's for Haruka-chan. Don't be greedy."

"She's gone. I'm not going to let this go to waste."

Naruto was going to tell her to just take more from the kitchen before Yomi decided to clear her throat.

"Hikage-san, I forgot to ask you. Do you think you could accompany me to do some training?" Yomi reached out to grasp Hikage's hands pleadingly.

"N-" She stopped herself from denying Yomi. She was lazy lately but... "Yes. Actually, let's go now." The two Hebijo shinobi were confused at her sudden change.

"Weren't you still hungry?" Naruto asked his girlfriend.

"I'll eat more later. The best time to train is in the morning, right?" Hikage stood and stretched. Her bust straining against the tight sleep shirt she wore.

"Aren't you going to change? Or are you two planning on fighting in your pajamas." His question was answered when two scrolls appeared from... somewhere on the girls.

"We have these." Hikage flipped her transformation scroll to show him.

"I should have known. You girls are always prepared." He tended to be a little more careless with his scroll. Haruka's suggestion of leaving it in the front of his pants was not happening.

"Well, I suppose we will be leaving. I didn't expect Hikage-san to agree so quickly." Yomi bowed her head to the person she looked up to the most. "Do you want me to help clean the dishes before leaving?"

"No, you girls go ahead. I'll check on Haruka-chan too." Naruto received a quick kiss from Hikage and a shy hug from Yomi as they turned to leave.

"Oh. Naru, be _safe_. Haruka isn't doing too well." The wicked smile Hikage had worried him.

"Okay...?"

The front door slammed shut and Naruto sat at the empty table, surrounded by the food he made.

"I thought breakfast was good..."

'**You managed to burn eggs.'**

'Nobody asked you.'

What did Kurama know about eggs anyway?

* * *

Haruka dropped onto her bed after successfully getting away from the kitchen. Hikage actually got to her.

Breathing in deeply, she tried to calm her body down. Everything about being around Naruto right now was too much for her. Hikage knew she watched them have sex, and for some reason, she made 'jokes' about it. She groaned into her bed sheets when she felt her lower body tingle in anticipation.

She wondered if Naruto would be willing to do that with her. Their relationship was complex enough already with the weird dynamic between them, but Haruka truly wanted to connect with Naruto in that way.

'Especially with how he pounded into Hikage... ah...' Haruka couldn't control herself. She felt like she was under the effect of her own puppetry technique. Her shorts were discarded quickly to expose her naked lower half, showing that she wore no panties underneath.

Biting into a blanket to hold back her muffled moans, she fingered herself while imagining herself in the position that Hikage experienced on a daily basis. The fact that there were others currently eating breakfast didn't deter her, she needed this. Years of attraction and love towards her darling was finally causing a severe reaction.

Her heart almost stopped when the door was pushed open and a grinning Naruto appeared.

"Yo! Haruka-chan, I'm bringing you breakfast... in... bed. Uh..." Naruto's brain shut down for a second and Kurama muttered curses at the predicament.

Haruka wanted to stop. She truly did… but she happened to be moaning into a blanket while pumping fingers into her aching lower lips.

Naruto almost lost his grip on the plate he held when he drank in the sight of Haruka. He's seen a lot of girls naked, shinobi girls generally didn't seem to care, which in turn has gotten him used to it. This situation couldn't even compare to that.

Haruka's hardened nipples were easily seen through the fabric of her very thin top, and her large breasts moved with her frantic breathing. His eyes traveled down to see her flat stomach and wide hips. Haruka was either too shocked or too engaged in feeling good to remove her hands from the slit between her soft thighs. Naruto swallowed some spit when eyeing the hairless area of his girlfriend.

"Darling." Haruka whispered her affectionate nickname with pure need. Naruto rose a hand to stop her, thinking she was embarrassed.

"Haruka! I'm really, really sorry... ya know? Hikage, she told me to bring you breakfast because you didn't feel well or something and sleeping at night wasn't good... or um... I can leave, ya know?" He rambled hardcore and wanted to kick himself for how much his little verbal quirk slipped out.

Naruto took one step backwards and that's as far as he went.

Haruka shot off the bed in a flash, a surprising feat for a horny female with hardly any clothes. She pushed him against the door roughly and Naruto finally dropped the breakfast plate.

'My hard work... gone in an instant. The eggs were actually burnt...' Naruto briefly sent his ruined creation a saddened look.

"Darling..." Haruka pressed her body to his, almost trying to melt into him.

"I want..."

Naruto knew he was clueless with figuring out most females, but he wasn't brain dead. She certainly didn't want breakfast right now.

"You."

Haruka mashed her lips against his with reckless abandon. Naruto wasn't able to get any words out as she began her kissing assault. He did his best to keep up with her, though with her hands running all over his body, he became distracted.

"Oh darling!" It was like a flip switched in Haruka's head. She went from wanting to be utterly dominated by Naruto, to leading the charge now. Her hands sought out every muscle he's worked for years to gain and tone. She wasn't disappointed when Naruto finally put his hands on her wide hips and squeezed her soft flesh.

"Darling..." She paused her attack on his lips and body to whisper. "I need you so badly. I can't wait any longer..."

Naruto's own body was reacting to Haruka's state, and despite what he did with Hikage last night, he had no issues with his stamina. Bless those Uzumaki genes.

"Haruka-chan? Are you sure?" Naruto had a feeling Hikage almost expected this. He came to that realization when thinking on her strange behavior while eating. As for why, he wasn't sure. They were both weird when it came to him.

"I've been waiting for some time. I know how much you and Hikage do this. I need this. I love you." Haruka made sure to grind her body against his. The poking against her thigh proved that he enjoyed her actions.

Naruto was conflicted. Whenever things like this came up with his relationship, he couldn't help but feel that he was betraying someone. He loved them both, and he really didn't want to _measure_ that love. That being said, both girls fought all the time, but they always seemed sure on sharing the love that he had for them. He also knew that they really cared for each other. They did a poor job at hiding it.

"Hikage allowed me to be with you in the first place... I love you more than anything. You're not betraying her... please." While lust may have damaged her judgment currently, she knew his true feelings on the matter. This wasn't like what her father did to her mother. Even now, with a girl throwing herself at him, he was almost scared of hurting anybody. She loved him.

Naruto thought over the situation while keeping his hands on her curvy form. Hikage definitely knew about what was going to happen today.

"Naruto-kun, I've been good haven't I? Don't good girls get a reward?" Haruka's voice picked up the seductive tone that she frequently used. Naruto was going to respond when he felt her hand leave his chest to drop into his own shorts. Her smaller hand wrapped around his length gently. She began to stroke him at different speeds, she had no idea what was best.

"Haruka..." Naruto warned her by the tone of his voice. There would be no going back if she kept this up.

"I want my reward... darling..." Haruka's awkward handjob, mostly due to her inexperience, came to an abrupt stop when Naruto lightly pushed her away from him and onto the bed.

Green eyes watched with excitement as Naruto approached the bed. Her legs were spread, revealing herself to him easily. She expected Naruto to take her right then and there.

She was wrong. Extremely wrong.

Haruka genuinely yelped when a tongue started lapping away at her slit. Naruto targeted her with experience that he picked up over the course of many nights with Hikage. The things he could do with his tongue paled in comparison to Hikage's snake-like appendage. Though based on Haruka's reaction...

"Ah! Wait!" Haruka sputtered as she felt his tongue successfully enter her folds. Her insides clamped down on the invader tightly. Naruto attacked her in similar fashion to how he would slurp away at his favorite food, and that certainly affected her.

Haruka threw her head back when she felt two fingers begin to enter her virgin hole. She felt herself began to pant like a dog as she reached up to her chest and pulled at her hardened nipples.

Naruto wanted to pat himself on the back for the moans bouncing around the room. The manipulator of Hebijo was all about being one step ahead of others, but here she was, moaning submissively in ecstasy.

Using his fingers, Naruto started curling them upwards while pumping into her. Simultaneously, his tongue went to work on one key part of a woman that he just knew would drive her over the edge.

"Fuck!" Haruka couldn't help herself. Naruto targeting a very sensitive part of her was too much. Naruto grinned and flicked his tongue along her clit. It took him many... many... embarrassing times with Hikage to even get a technique down.

Keeping at it with a steady pace, Naruto felt her clamp down even harder on his working fingers.

"Naruto! I can't...!"

Naruto earned his own reward when something warm trickled onto his tongue suddenly. Tasting the juices that belonged to her, Naruto watched Haruka from his position between her legs.

Her whole body shook like a leaf in the wind as she orgasmed. Somewhere along the way, she ended up removing her top. Naruto eyed her huge chest and internally he thanked whatever deity allowed him to be around these shinobi.

"Naruto…?" Haruka felt dazed when her eyes opened.

Slipping into bed beside her, Naruto placed his hands on her chest. Haruka sucked in air suddenly at the new sensation of his warm hands teasing her very sensitive nipples. The feeling was completely different from when she did this to herself.

"You know, I was asked about life or hometown." Naruto offhandedly commented as he played with her chest. Haruka loved him to death, but she wasn't paying much attention to anything besides the pleasure he was causing her body to feel.

"I guess my answer is… I'll never be able to choose." He smiled and placed his mouth close to her breasts. Haruka let out a throaty moan when she felt him suck on her nipple. Naruto heard the reaction and continued to graze his teeth against her right nipple while massaging the other.

Looking down at her darling pleasuring her, Haruka felt her heart beating out of her chest. She genuinely felt like she could explode right now, that's the effect he was having on her. Shaky hands lifted to pull Naruto's head off of her heaving breasts. Her face produced an expression that Naruto compared to Hikage during their time together.

"More. I want you inside me." Her desire took over.

"I have to get protection Haruka-chan..." The first time he did this with Hikage, he was scared out of his mind for weeks over his lack of precaution. Unsurprisingly, Hikage wasn't worried. That girl seemed to be against contraceptives.

"Left side of the bed, in my bag. Your condoms." She kept her sentences short now and Naruto was about to question why she had _his _condoms before realizing he wouldn't get much of an answer in her current state.

Rolling off the bed and realizing he was also ridiculously aroused at the moment, Naruto reached into her bag and retrieved one of the condoms she stuffed in there.

While he fumbled around with her bag, Haruka reached down between her legs and became shocked at how drenched she was. Letting out another loud moan while she rubbed her sensitive slit, she heard the bed creak but refused to stop.

Naruto placed himself between her legs and waited for her to calm down.

"There's no going back Haruka-chan…" He warned her and somehow… someway… he knew Hikage was to blame for Haruka being like this.

"Fuck me."

It was a far cry from the loving first time he had with Hikage.

Naruto grinned at her from his position and Haruka gave him one of her own.

"Fuck. Me." She repeated.

Haruka's body shuddered pleasantly when he finally penetrated her.

'S-Shit!' Naruto had to grit his teeth when entering Haruka. Hikage certainly was tight, but this was just crazy. Everything about the way Haruka's pussy clung to him was testing his fabled stamina. Never one to be defeated, his hands grabbed at Haruka's hips and pounded away.

Haruka threw her head back when Naruto became rough. It was her first time, and she heard some of the random Hebijo girls gossip about losing their virginities. Most talked about going slow at first, the complete opposite of what Naruto was giving her. The foreplay beforehand certainly made sure she was ready… and she loved it. Being gentle and loving would have made her heart soar, but this was better. This is what she wanted.

Years of teasing him, years of making him embarrassed and being in control. She loved the feeling of being dominated.

"Harder… harder!" She practically demanded and Naruto quickly obliged. For the next couple of minutes, he drilled into Haruka mercilessly. It took an insane amount of willpower for him to last long here.

Whereas Hikage sometimes preferred they hold hands during sex, a downright lewd and sinful action, Haruka certainly didn't want that for her first experience.

"Darling… I want the same as Hikage." Haruka struggled to get the words out. The thrilling sensation of his cock burying into her quivering pussy left her brain scrambled. Naruto slowed down ever so slightly and stared at her in surprise.

"Are you sure, Haruka-chan?" Naruto wasn't sure if Haruka knew what that entailed.

"Yes! Yes!" Even if she didn't understand, her moans spoke a different story.

"Okay… but Haruka-chan…"

"I don't care!"

Well, if that was her answer.

Grabbing her legs, he pushed them closer to her upper body. It helped that Haruka was very flexible despite her curvy body. Haruka's fluttering eyes sought out his for a moment and a question spilled from her lips.

"W-What is this called?" If it was possible, she was becoming more excited. This position was incredibly familiar to the one she saw from his time with Hikage. She could practically feel herself grow wetter at the thought.

"Hebi-chan calls it a… mating press." Naruto answered and received a sultry smile from Haruka. His knowledge of position names came from Hikage, who wanted to try everything under the sun with him. Giving Hikage a phone and internet access was a mistake.

"I want it, my darling."

"Alright…"

Due to the new position and angle, Haruka opened her mouth in an "o" shape. Naruto pressed his weight onto her and hit spots that she never knew existed, she was overwhelmed.

And she loved every exhilarating second of it.

She finally understood why Hikage dragged him to their bedroom so often.

Naruto was glad nobody was in the house. Haruka's moans certainly couldn't be contained and he'd hate to explain any of this to Yomi.

"Fuck me! Fuck me! Fuck me!" Haruka practically screamed.

'Yeah… good thing they went to train.'

* * *

Later in the evening, the entire Hebijo group ended up in Naruto and Hikage's home. It was their 'unofficial evil shinobi base' as Mirai named it.

"Homura. Pick a movie already." Naruto glared at the tanned girl holding the remote. He was fed up with the fifteen minute wait.

"Shut up fox boy!"

Mirai dodged a thrown pillow as she sat on Naruto's lap. It was common for her to be seated atop of Naruto whenever they were all together now. She wasn't sure how it happened, but she wouldn't complain. She felt comfortable being close to him.

"Homura-san! You made me spill my drink!" Yomi cried out. She was the unfortunate victim of Homura's pillow.

"Damn it. Sorry... Yomi. I meant to hit that idiot." Homura smiled at Naruto's annoyed face.

Hikage watched the chaos of her shinobi group with her usual disinterested expression. Leaning against Naruto's arm, she sought out one girl in particular.

Haruka sat peacefully on a small cushioned chair near Homura. She continued to smile at nothing with glazed eyes.

Hikage knew that look extremely well.

She's seen it in the mirror plenty of times. Pushing off Naruto's arm, he turned to her with raised eyebrows.

"I'm thirsty."

"Gotcha." He smiled at her and readjusted Mirai on his lap. Hikage removed herself from the group while staring at Haruka the entire time.

"Naru-nii, I was comfortable." Mirai cutely pouted at him and he laughed happily.

"Not only is he an idiot but he also likes _smaller _girls." Homura accused him with her usual shit eating grin.

"Hey! I'm only a year younger than you!" Mirai defended herself before Naruto could jump in.

Homura pointed at her chest and Mirai fumed silently.

"Homura-chan's boobs only got so big because of all the meat she eats. Don't get upset Mirai-chan. You're fine." Naruto patted the younger girl on the head.

"Was there a fat joke in there?" Homura clenched her fists when Naruto copied her grin.

"I would like to watch a movie now please!" Yomi interrupted their upcoming fight. She was still upset that her beverage was unjustly ruined.

"Fine, fine. I'll deal with that bastard later. Haruka, do you have any suggestions?" Homura turned to where the girl was seated before blinking at the empty space. "Huh?"

For a second, Naruto thought he heard the door to their house open before shaking his head.

'Maybe Hikage and Haruka are together. Today was something else.' He did his best to put those thoughts out of his mind for the time being. Plus, Mirai was sitting on his lap.

If he investigated the noise, he would have been right. Hikage signaled for the glowing Haruka to follow her after getting off the couch.

Standing outside and feeling the nighttime breeze wash over her, Hikage turned to her friend with a blank expression.

"Now you really do look like a stupid doll." Hikage's words caused green eyes to focus on her. Already preparing for the verbal war, she waited for Haruka's retort.

She was not ready for the tight hug. Feeling her bust being pushed against another girls was the one thing she'd never be used to.

"Release me."

"No!" Haruka giggled and pulled her closer. Their large chests squished together easily.

"Haruka." Hikage regretted not having any weapons on her.

Suddenly pulling back from the hug, Haruka smiled so brightly at her that she felt like Naruto took over her body.

"Thank you." Those two words were said so genuinely that Hikage was surprised.

"... You're this happy that I let you have sex with my boyfriend." Hikage squashed down the jealousy that still existed from that. She was surprised a second time when Haruka shook her head.

"You gave me a chance to be with him. It seems silly, but what you allowed me to do means a lot. I truly love him and connecting with him in that way..." Haruka grabbed Hikage's hands. "Thank you."

Hikage felt her negative emotions wash away when she witnessed the pure happiness on Haruka's face.

'I can't believe this. Me of all people... getting emotional...' Hinata would laugh if she could see her daughters expression.

"Don't get used to it doll girl." Hikage let her hands remain in Haruka's grip.

"I don't know Hikage-chan, I think a girl can get very addicted to that." Haruka enjoyed the way Hikage's eyes narrowed at her.

"Now there's no need to watch us doing it." Hikage accused her dryly.

"You did know. How?"

"Are you missing anything today?" Hikage tilted her head up and Haruka felt her cheeks burn.

"My bow..."

"Yup."

Haruka's ears burned when she realized that she left evidence behind.

"Looks like I need a new nickname for you. Doll virgin no longer works. Doll thief got old quick. Doll pervert?" Hikage looked thoughtful.

Haruka giggled at the strange girl who slowly but surely became important to her.

"It won't happen again Hikage-chan. You should really close the door though."

"It's my house."

"Fair point." She momentarily forgot how careless Hikage could be about certain things. "Just to let you know, it was amazing." Haruka admitted to her.

"Obviously."

"He did this thing with his tongue." Hikage only rose an eyebrow at her attempt of one upping her.

"I'm aware."

"What about the thing with his..."

"You're like a year late."

"Stop being so smug."

"First is the best after all." Hikage felt her chest swell with pride.

"I can give him another first of mine." Haruka's smile was downright dirty.

Hikage smirked evilly.

"No..." Haruka replied with wide eyes.

"First is the best." She repeated herself.

"Snake slut!"

"Doll pervert."

Haruka began laughing again, and Hikage soon joined her. Although her laughter was significantly quieter.

'Haruka isn't that bad...'

She'd never tell her that to her face though. Haruka's ego was already bigger than her absurdly sized chest.

* * *

**A/N **\- Let's fucking gooooooooooooooooo! You guys won't have to wait too long for that cliffhanger from last chapter, I already started on the next one!

Not every shinobi heart is going to feature sex/smut/whatever. It'll happen when it happens. It also gives me a chance to improve at writing scenes like that. A skill that I will never use in the future as my career will have nothing to do with writing sexual content at all lmao.

The PM system on this site is actual trash. I don't know how many times I responded to reviews and the reviewer probably has no idea. I kinda stopped responding in the A/N because I don't want to inflate the chapter sizes, but yes I READ all of them. I pretty much recognize every reader that's been here for a long time. Even guest reviewers, how could I forget people like my boy Kyogre and his Big Smoke reference.

As always, thanks for reading. I'm going to make a discord (yet again because I lost my phone and by extension my account, whoops) so if you wanna hit me up on there, PM me for my details. It's a much better way to talk compared to the shit tier PM system. Plus it would be cool to talk to you guys outside of these A/N's but only if ya want to :)


	23. Crushed Spirits

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Senran Kagura!**

* * *

"Katsuragi, where is the scroll?"

Naruto repeated the question to the distraught Hazno Academy girls. Katsuragi's entire demeanor displayed anything but the confident shinobi she pretended to be.

Gleaming trench knives were poised and ready to strike. Her mind flashed back to the brutal fight between Naruto and the rogue shinobi who killed his mother. Would he do the same to her?

"You… you promised…" Katsuragi whispered pathetically. He told them that he'd make sure nothing would hurt them.

"What do you need with the scroll?" Ikaruga appeared just as distressed as her teammates while she kept a hand on the sheathe of her ornate blade. Homura chuckled and crossed her arms, staring at the third year arrogantly.

"It just so happens that our school holds the other scroll. When both come together, it's said to give absolute power to the shinobi who wields the pair." Homura held a dangerous gleam in her eyes while she explained her reasoning.

"Why would you need the scroll for power?! That's what training is for!" Asuka shouted at the tanned girl. Naruto truly agreed with her. He didn't see any point in these "Super-Secret" scrolls. The name itself seemed childish to him.

"Hebijo believes in strength at any cost. Any method to gain power is allowed. Killing, fighting, who cares?" Homura's explanation did not satisfy Asuka in the slightest.

"That's not the path a shinobi should take…" Asuka sought out Naruto while speaking, wanting to gauge his reaction. Unfortunately, he remained quiet.

"It's our mission, don't think too hard on it." Haruka chimed in with a malicious smirk. She may have changed for the better, but she'd never be as pure and innocent as these Hanzo girls.

"A-And what if we don't have the scroll here?" Hibari squeaked when all the Hebijo girls snapped their eyes onto her.

"That would be a real _shame_." Homura's body language indicated that she was itching for a fight.

"You promised…" Katsuragi's tone became harsher while staring dead ahead at the boy she connected to.

"Oi, Naruto. I think we can handle these girls on our own." Homura stepped up to him happily. Fighting always made her excited. "Since you know the layout of the school, you should go look for the scroll first. We'll join you when we are done here." Hitting him harshly on the back, he bit the inside of his cheek and lowered his weapons.

"I hate when you act like a leader, ya know…" The familiar way he spoke to Homura continued to drive the proverbial knife deeper into Katsuragi.

"Suck it up!" Grinning, she faced the Hanzo girls once more. "I call dibs on Jugs over there." Asuka backed up slightly at the predatory look sent her way.

Naruto walked past Homura to his teammates. Standing directly in front of Hikage and Haruka, he whispered something that was inaudible to the Hanzo team. Whatever he said caused Haruka to laugh and shake her head, while Hikage merely sighed.

"You owe us for making this a bigger pain in the butt, darling." Haruka licked her lips sensually.

"For once… I agree with her." Hikage wasn't thrilled with his request.

"Deal. Also, make sure Mirai-chan is alright. Support her if you have to." Supporting each other in battle was frowned upon by evil shinobi, but Naruto cared little for evil shinobi etiquette.

"Mhm, as if I'd let our precious Mirai-chan get hurt." Haruka reassured him and while it was said teasingly, Naruto knew she meant it.

Nodding gratefully, Naruto shot off towards the center of the academy. The fact that he didn't even glance back at the Hanzo girls left them feeling sour.

"Well… now that he's gone… let's have some fun." Homura pointed at Asuka. "Me and you, let's see if your so called 'path of the shinobi' is the right one."

"Excuse me." Yomi stepped closer to Ikaruga, staring at the girl with hatred. "_Princess_, if you would be so kind to fight me, that'd be great. Unless... you wouldn't want to dirty your noble hands by fighting a commoner like me?"

Ikaruga fumbled with her sword for a second when hearing the pure disgust in Yomi's voice. It was almost like she did something to personally offend her, and she's never even met the girl before.

"It looks like we still have to pick." Haruka heard Yomi's words and would rather not dwell on that situation. Yomi always held a big grudge against those who came from the top percentage of society and Ikaruga certainly fit the bill. Haruka herself came from a financially wealthy family, although Yomi was well aware that her upbringing was anything but pleasant.

"I want her." Hikage gestured to Katsuragi, making the blonde blink away the tears that were forming at her eyes. She had to fight… that's right. No matter how badly she wanted to chase after Naruto, considering he ran away again, she had to fight.

"Oh, the wife versus the new mistress. What a battle that will be." Haruka giggled to herself.

"Whenever I start to like you… you say stuff like that." Hikage cracked her neck and walked closer to Katsuragi, causing the girl to tense.

"And then there were two." Haruka was having too much fun with this. "I guess I'll take the pink haired one. You can have the eye patch girl, you certainly have the same taste, Mirai-chan." Patting the younger shinobi gently on the head, Haruka's long lab coat swayed as she approached Hibari. Yagyū stood defensively in front of her friend.

"I won't let you harm her." The glare directed at Haruka made her smile, oh they were just adorable.

"Mirai-chan~" Haruka paused and turned back to Mirai. "Please separate them."

Yagyū furrowed her brow, confused at the request. Her lone eye soon widened when a massive barrage of pink colored bullets fired out of the black umbrella in Mirai's hands.

Her own umbrella rose in time to deflect the shots, but Hibari was pulled away in a flash by a strange robot. Yagyū had little time to process what was happening before Mirai shouted.

"Don't ignore me, you big chested cow!"

Yagyū never expected the youngest looking shinobi to have a mouth on her.

Determination filled her suddenly. She had to take Mirai down and assist Hibari. Who knew what tricks Haruka had up her sleeves.

"You better stop ignoring me!" Mirai's next shout was accompanied by her lifting up the long dress of her transformation outfit.

Yagyū also didn't expect a large gun to be pointed at her from under the girls dress.

'This is all that traitors fault… damn it.'

With a scowl, Yagyū focused all of her attention on defeating the little brat in front of her.

* * *

"Come on! Try harder, Asuka!"

Asuka hurriedly deflected multiple blades that Homura aimed to pierce her body. She's never seen any shinobi hold that many swords at once, and Homura made it look easy.

"W-Why are you doing this?!" She questioned her opponent while backing away from the ferocious slashes. She thought she managed to land a few attacks of her own on Homura, but her outfit was still perfect.

"Are you deaf?! I already told you! Did all of your brain power go to those stupidly huge tits of yours?" Homura flipped over Asuka quickly, going for a stab directly at her back. Asuka continued to dodge by the skin of her teeth, she barely had time to strike with her own blades!

"You're the granddaughter of one of the most legendary shinobi around." Homura sent three of her swords towards Asuka's neck, smirking when panic filled the innocent eyes before her. "Start acting like it!"

Her twin swords successfully blocked Homura again. Concern bloomed on Asuka's face when Homura laughed.

"I have three more, you know."

The midsection of her transformed outfit was shredded, leaving Asuka's toned stomach exposed to the world.

"Either you start landing some hits of your own, or I'll have you dead in five minutes."

The threat made Asuka snap back to reality. Homura aimed to kill her. This was a real fight between shinobi. The little battle she fought against the two grunts following the rogue Naruto killed was nothing compared to this.

'Naruto… you really were with them from the beginning?' The same boy who would ruffle her hair and flick her on the forehead. The one who complained that she kept beating him in phone games or that the cafeteria served awful ramen. The one who wasn't exactly the brightest when it came to schoolwork. He was evil? She couldn't…

"This is a fight, there's no time for you to think about pointless crap." Homura bent her body low and prepared to run towards the stationary girl.

"Is Naruto-kun… evil?"

The question spilled out and Homura narrowed her eyes.

"What? That's what you're thinking about while fighting me?" Homura supposed it made sense, he did just betray them.

"Please answer!" Asuka held her blades in a white knuckled grip.

Homura didn't have to respond. She owed Asuka nothing… but… if there was any chance to insult Naruto, she'd take it.

"That idiot wishes he could be evil. He's such a dumbass that I'm surprised he could tie his own shoes." When those insulting words reached Asuka, she was only left with more questions.

How could Naruto end up with them? How could a boy like that work for evil shinobi?

'I… I don't think he was faking his personality…'

"Eyes ahead!"

Homura came to a halt in front of Asuka and dropped her blades over her head in a snap. The six swords she wielded were blocked again, grinding loudly against the weapons Asuka was gifted by her grandfather.

"Ha!" Asuka pushed against Homura with everything she had, making the tanned girl grin wildly. Now this is what she wanted to see. It would be no fun if the good shinobi just gave up.

Sparks flew off the clashing weapons and Homura soon broke contact with Asuka to step back. Flames gathered at the edge of her weapons, her next technique would show Asuka the difference between them.

Closing her eyes, she focused on producing the brightest flames possible. There was no way Asuka could beat her currently, and that wasn't even her arrogance speaking.

"Asuka! It's time… huh?" Homura blinked when she caught sight of Asuka raising her blades high above her own head. "What the hell are you doing?"

She continued to be shocked when Asuka literally burrowed into the ground with her weapons, completely disappearing from her view.

"What kind of-"

"HAH!"

Homura heard the ground crack underneath her and the busty shinobi she was taunting burst out with a yell. Green tinted blades greeted Homura and swiped at her chest. Seeing no easy way out of this, Homura took the blow head on, interested to see how badly it would hurt her.

Her Hebijo uniform ripped open, and Homura was glad Naruto wasn't around.

Asuka didn't hesitate to set her blades on Homura again.

"There you go! Now that's how a shinobi should act!"

The bloodlust from Homura concerned Asuka, but she wouldn't dwell on it. She had to finish this fight and protect her friends.

Her heart ached when she briefly pictured Naruto among their small group of shinobi.

"Keep it up, Asuka!"

Homura gave her no chance to reminisce.

* * *

Ikaruga was not having a good time. Not in the slightest.

"Keep dodging like your life depends on it, Princess!"

Everything Yomi yelled at her seemed personal. It was like her existence in general upset the evil shinobi. The insults consisted of topics relating to social status or financial wealth. She didn't understand!

Holding a sword that was way too big for her stature, Yomi swung it around like it was a mere twig. Her eyes, which were normally kind and warm for her teammates, were icy when focusing on Ikaruga.

"I do not understand your grudge against me! If there is anyone who should have a grudge here, it's me! My teammate was working with you the entire time. He's a traitor." Those words stung badly, but they were true. Ikaruga was on a path to be an elite shinobi, she couldn't give up here because of his betrayal. She truly hoped Katsuragi would recover from this.

"Do not speak like that about Naruto-san. You know nothing about him." Yomi slammed her large sword into the ground where Ikaruga previously stood. The Hanzo shinobi managed to put some distance between them.

"I know enough! He deceived us!" She yelled back, not wanting to be lectured by an evil shinobi.

"No! You know nothing about us!" A wicked smile formed on Yomi's face, and the gleam in her eyes worried Ikaruga. "I know all about you though. How is dear old daddy doing, Princess?"

The mocking question earned a look of shock from Ikaruga. She knew of her father? How?

Bolts from the small crossbow attachment on Yomi's arm shot towards Ikaruga at such speeds that if she wasn't on top of her training, she'd be helpless.

Her family heirloom deflected the projectiles with finesse, which only served to make Yomi's anger spike.

"That's a nice _expensive_ weapon… how would you like it to be shattered into little pieces?" Yomi's sword grew extremely large, yet she didn't struggle, showing her more than impressive strength. Ikaruga planted her feet into the ground and sheathed her blade, taking a stance that she's been honing for years.

"Don't die too soon, Princess!"

The gigantic blade descended with no hesitation. Yomi truly meant to kill her.

Ikaruga's focused visage mentally counted the amount of seconds she had to react to Yomi's attack. From the height of the sword being dropped onto her, to the positioning of Yomi and how long it would take to reach the evil shinobi. Her analytical mind was put to work.

The nearby trees shook when Yomi's weapon impacted with the dirt. The sound of the slam probably interrupted some of the battles going on between her teammates, but that mattered little. She _needed _to crush Ikaruga. Naruto made a promise to protect these girls… Yomi did no such thing.

'I'm sorry, Naruto-san.'

Yomi's ears picked up the sound of something clicking into place. Turning her head slowly, she came to the realization that Ikaruga was in fact not flattened by her oversized sword.

Then she felt it. Pain.

Slash after slash of Ikaruga's blade somehow reached Yomi's body. The third year shinobi was kneeling behind her, holding her sword in her sheathe calmly.

Yomi's maid-like dress ripped and tore due to the onslaught. Her curvy body was put on display for Ikaruga.

"There… that should be-"

"I really, really, really, dislike you."

Ikaruga whipped her body around when she heard Yomi speak. The large sword was planted into the earth, using it as a makeshift sheath of her own. Yomi raised her arms, each featuring some kind of weapon. Her crossbow and something that resembled a large canon to Ikaruga.

"_Niflheim!" _Ikaruga had little time to ponder the strangely named attack before a salvo of crossbow bolts and actual explosives were fired at her with no prejudice.

Her sword could certainly deflect crossbow bolts, but explosives?

Ikaruga's usual pristine outfit was cut up and down, blood was even drawn when one of the bolts grazed her thigh. It wasn't anything that would slow her down, though it certainly showed how serious Yomi was about defeating her.

"Sometimes I forget how durable shinobi can be. Oh well, I'll just need a little more time to remove that silver spoon from your mouth." Picking her large blade up, Yomi held it in front of her threateningly.

Neither shinobi paid much attention to the explosion coming from the center of the academy, near the gymnasium.

Instead, they were almost lost in their own world as their blades clashed and their clothes were torn.

* * *

"Now that… was definitely my darling's fault." Haruka glanced in the direction of the sound.

Was she worried for his safety? Always. Considering he liked to charge head on into things and think about it later, she had no choice but to worry. Homura tended to follow his example too. She wouldn't be surprised if that brash girl was purposely taking some hits from her opponent.

"Speaking of opponents..."

Haruka watched with bewilderment as Hibari fought off her robotic servant.

The pink haired shinobi fought so strangely that it made her stop and stare. Sure, it could be considered cute. Although, being cute didn't mean it was effective.

Hibari practically punched and kicked at the robot like a child would when not understanding how to properly fight. She knew she was a first year student, but seriously?

'I was enjoying this at first.' Haruka crossed her arms under her chest, staring at the girl with disappointment. 'Now I feel nothing. This is how Hikage-chan must feel normally... unless Naruto-kun is around.' Ah. Naruto. How she loved him.

"Take this!"

Hibari's shout stopped her from daydreaming about Naruto and all of the dominating positions he'd take during their time in the bedroom. She dryly observed the girl literally slam her butt into the robot to knock it over, successfully defeating her little servant.

"That's one way to do it." Haruka remarked as Hibari bent over to breathe heavily.

"You... you're all evil shinobi and we will stop you!" Hibari's fear of fighting Naruto lessened when he ran off towards the academy. She didn't want him to get the super important scroll that Ikaruga was worried about, but she'd rather not experience that dark power again.

"Sweetie, you look like you're about to pass out from just knocking my little partner out." Haruka palmed her face tiredly.

"You're next!" Striking a pose, Hibari readied her fists in a classic boxing stance.

"Hmm? Did you actually take the robot out though? Why don't you check on it? I think I saw it move..." Haruka's words sounded genuine, which completely manipulated the naive Hibari.

"Huh... oh..." Hibari bent over once more to peak at the round shaped robot. The robots eyes were shut, but it's mouth was open, confusing the Hanzo student.

"And... game over." Haruka sighed dramatically.

Green colored gas spewed out from the mouth of her robot, causing Hibari to sputter and cough. It was too late though, she already inhaled the fumes.

Haruka counted down the seconds until Hibari passed out. Shinobi were durable, there was no doubt about it. However, Haruka specialized in all kinds of scientific creations that worked around that durability. Admittedly she wasn't much in a straight up fist fight, she preferred her puppets or robot to do the work for her.

With a soft thud, Hibari fell to the grass covered ground. She could have certainly used something lethal, but that would go against her love's wishes.

"At least my outfit wasn't ruined." There was always a positive to not being such an upfront fighter. Haruka had a very lewd body, and she'd rather not reveal it to the world after every altercation.

Shrugging at the sight of Hibari laid on the ground with her ass up in the air, Haruka figured she should make good on her other promise to Naruto. Helping Mirai was certainly necessary.

There were unspoken "rules" that some shinobi followed, even the evil ones. For whatever reason, they truly believed that fights should be one on one in most cases. Haruka found that to be completely foolish.

Why would she let Mirai lose a fight, just to follow a worthless rule? Perhaps in another lifetime she would leave Mirai to defend for herself and focus on teasing Hibari relentlessly. That wasn't how she planned to do things now. She didn't need a new doll like Hibari.

'I'm getting a reward for this too.' Oh, she couldn't wait. Naruto owed her big time.

Rushing over to Mirai's position, she was glad she arrived when she did.

The youngest girl from Hebijo was genuinely struggling against Yagyū. The Hanzo shinobi was definitely a prodigy of some sort to push Mirai like this.

Both girls outfits were torn, something Haruka expected. Not a single day went by in the shinobi world where fabric held up.

Mirai wasn't a close ranger fighter either, she preferred to fire her unique armament of weapons from a distance. Her struggle against Yagyū was understandable. The silver haired girl was able to defend herself at long ranges and get up close with her deadly umbrella.

Mirai quickly noticed Haruka who stood a fair distance away from Yagyū. Luckily, her bullets were distracting the Hanzo shinobi for the time being. Haruka rose a finger to her lips to hush her.

Reaching into her lab coat, Haruka withdrew a long needle that contained some clear liquid. This was something she rarely got to use, considering she tried to avoid close confrontations.

Stealthily approaching Yagyū, who continued to block all of the large bullets from Mirai's guns, Haruka lashed out and grabbed the girl.

Yagyū froze when a body pushed into her own from behind. A huge set of breasts was the first thing she felt, then a tiny prick in her thigh soon followed.

Her head spun, and she could barely make out the smirking Haruka that entered her vision.

"All of my nonlethal drugs are fast acting, so count yourself lucky. If Naruto-kun didn't care, you'd be dead alongside Hibari-chan over there."

Yagyū's lips moved but no words came out. Her fight was interrupted unjustly. She had Mirai on the ropes and Haruka interfered. Evil shinobi truly had no morals.

"If you were wondering, I don't care about fighting fairly. I care about my little family here." Haruka whispered to her, almost reading her mind.

Yagyū couldn't believe what she heard come from an evil shinobi. Family? What did they know about that... they were... traitors... and...

"That's two down! Good job, Mirai-chan! Teamwork makes the dream work." Haruka shouted at the pouting Mirai. Yagyū's body dropped carelessly to the hard ground. Haruka was sure she'd be alright.

"I had that handled!" The tiny girl complained.

"Your precious 'Naru-nii' made me promise that you wouldn't get hurt. Accept my help this one time. It doesn't mean you're weak." Haruka reassured the girl who she knew had a problem with feeling inferior.

"S-So! You didn't have to interfere!" Mirai blushed when hearing that Naruto worried about her. Having people genuinely care about her for no ulterior motive or as a way to bully her, it made her heart flutter.

"I'm sure you'll get another chance at taking her down. Stop pouting, we need to go check on our team."

Right as she said that another explosion sounded from Naruto's direction.

Haruka truly pitied whoever he was fighting.

* * *

"Is this all that you can do? Dodge... poorly?" Hikage flat voice ridiculed her opponent

Among her teammates, Katsuragi probably looked the worst. Her outfit was torn up from Hikage's many knives. Her white shirt was barely hanging on and her skirt was left in tatters, revealing her panties to Hikage. Of course, Hikage paid little attention to her state of undress. Why should she care about her clothes when the look on Katsuragi's face was far more distracting.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Hikage stance was loose, almost lazy. Training with Naruto from when they were children, and her years at Hebijo ensured that she was prepared in a fight.

"Who are you to Naruto?" Katsuragi held her hand to her bleeding forearm. Hikage's wicked knife managed to cut her.

"Who am I? Why?" Genuinely curious, Hikage wondered why that was so important to know during a fight.

"Just... answer. Who are you?!" Katsuragi grit her teeth angrily. She couldn't figure Hikage out! Throughout their entire fight, the girl seemed bored. The emotion that was present in her voice when addressing Naruto was gone. She sounded more like a robot now.

"I'm Hikage."

Katsuragi wanted to rip her hair out.

"Who are _you _to Naruto?" Katsuragi stressed the question, earning a head tilt from Hikage.

"Naru is mine." Hikage shrugged, that was the easy way to explain it.

Katsuragi felt a myriad of emotions after Naruto revealed that he was working with Hebijo. The sting of betrayal and the ache in her heart was enough to make her want to cry. Hearing Hikage refer to Naruto in such a possessive way only enraged her further. Naruto was _her _teammate.

He shared his dream with her. She saw him at his lowest against Hotaru. Hikage did not own him, she was-!

"Listen. I've been with Naruto since I was young. I don't care what you think about him. He's not with your team, and he never will be." Hikage delivered those words dryly.

Hearing that only pulled at Katsuragi's heart more. Hikage may have known him for years, but Katsuragi didn't need all of that time to connect with him. The silly ramen dream he spoke about and her excitement over teaming up with him, it all seemed impossible now.

The entire weekend, she spent hours thinking over names of their fantasy restaurant. She realized that it was far off in the future, but she truly felt giddy when thinking about it. Her other dream to help her parents only left her feeling bitter and sick. Thinking of Naruto was a good escape for her. An escape to feel normal and happy.

She held her phone close to her the entire time, waiting for him to text to call her. She could picture herself rambling off the names and he'd make fun of them. She even planned on buying ramen ingredients during the week and surprising him by cooking a homemade meal.

Hikage frowned as she watched Katsuragi. Tears streamed down the girls face while she glared at her.

"Why are you crying?"

The question only made Katsuragi's fists shake.

"If you have to ask me why I'm crying, then you don't understand anything!" Showing her emotions to an evil shinobi, Kiriya-sensei would be disappointed.

"If this is about Naruto, then stop. You were only a part of the mission. Get over it."

Katsuragi rocketed towards Hikage in an instant. Her metal greaves aiming to kick the girls head off.

Hikage watched her, unimpressed as usual. Katsurgai's speed was good for wearing such heavy boots, but Naruto was way faster.

Crouching down, Hikage dodged the wild kick and jabbed her mother's knife towards Katsuragi's midsection.

Her weapon missed its target as Katsuragi kicked towards the sharp tip. Hikage could safely say that her knife has never been blocked by a boot before.

'I can't cut through it.' Yellow eyes narrowed when Katsuragi lifted her other leg and brought it down roughly.

"Tch." Hikage rolled away, feeling the sharp pain in her shoulder where Katsurgai's leg made contact.

Katsuragi fought through her nausea and sadness. She couldn't give up. She needed to talk to Naruto, one more time.

"I don't understand you." Hikage stood up straighter. "You were just crying, and now you are trying so hard to look strong." The glint in Katsuragi's eyes reminded Hikage of Naruto. 'He would get close to the girl that's similar to him. Damn it... Naruto.'

"I need to talk to him. I'll knock you on your ass and go find him." Raising her leg, Katsuragi prepared herself for another attack.

"Don't make me repeat myself. You were just a mission to him. Nothing more, nothing less." Hikage knew how desperately Naruto wanted friends, so that wasn't all true. If it came down to it, she knew who Naruto would choose first.

He didn't call them _his _Hebijo girls for nothing.

"I..."

A loud screech came from the center of the academy, which made both girls cringe. Katsuragi thought it sounded familiar, but Hikage gave her no chance to think on it.

Dashing around Katsuragi and throwing knives from all angles, Hikage refused to give the girl an opening to attack again. She was sure her shoulder would be sore from the kick.

'I have to be sure not to kill her. Naru wouldn't be too happy.'

Hikage did wonder what Naruto was doing on his own. It sounded a whole lot more interesting than fighting these girls.

* * *

While each girl was fighting against the Hanzo team, Naruto was off on his own. He rushed around the academy that was surrounded by one of those annoying barriers. He'd never care for those things.

'**Check the shinobi room first. There has to be something there.' **Kurama gave some input so Naruto wouldn't wander cluelessly. He's never actually seen the supposed scroll he was supposed to steal.

'Kurama. Do you think they'll kill them?' That thought worried him. He promised Hanzo and himself that he'd never hurt them… physically. It was too late on the emotional aspect.

'**I don't know. That's why you should focus on finding the stupid scroll and getting out of here.' **Kurama easily felt the regret coming off its Jinchūriki. Dōgen picked the worst possible shinobi to send on a mission like this.

'Katsuragi...' Her empty eyes and wavering voice was all he could think about. He told Hikage and Haruka to spare them. He loved and trusted those two more than anybody, they wouldn't let him down.

"Fuck evil shinobi..." Naruto muttered and Kurama snorted in response.

'**If anyone from your past could see you now, they'd be in for a shock.' **Kurama knew the word 'evil' was never used to describe Naruto by any of his old friends.

Naruto pushed the thoughts about his past life to the back of his mind. There was no point in thinking about that now.

Kicking open the doors to the academy's gym, Naruto ran into the lit up room. If he went through this part of the school, he could reach the shinobi room faster.

'**Above you!'**

Kurama's warning caused him to stop in his tracks. Blue eyes grew extremely wide when a large shadow dropped onto the clean wooden floors.

Wood shattered in every direction when the figure landed before him. Naruto quickly raised his trench knives, this wasn't Kiriya.

Reddish-brown eyes regarded him with annoyance. Naruto drank in her appearance and swallowed some of his saliva. The woman who dropped down before him was certainly special.

She was tall for a woman, with her long black hair flowing freely down her back. Her muscle definition was on another level from any of the Hanzo or Hebijo shinobi. She looked like she could cut steel with her abdominal muscles alone.

Her outfit was surprisingly similar to his own. Her tattered cloak and loosely tied pants fit the stereotype of a delinquent or gangster. It was definitely nothing like the other Hanzo girls. Her bandage wrapped breasts were gigantic, and he was forced to notice them with how they jiggled upon her standing.

Reaching her full height, she adjusted the black cap on her head and slammed her feet roughly on the ground.

"Not only are you a traitor, but you're an evil shinobi from Hebijo." The woman's voice was deep as she accused him.

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto already hated the way she looked at him. He knew when he was being underestimated, and from her stare, she thought he was worth less than dirt.

"You're here for the scroll aren't you?" She asked him plainly. "Don't tell me you thought it would be easy to walk in here and grab it."

"You know where it is then." He clenched his hands, feeling his mother's gift in his grip.

"No." Her quick answer threw him off. "The scroll may not even be here."

"I doubt that. Where's Kiriya?" Naruto had his own grudge against the man.

"That's none of your concern. All that you should be worried about is being captured and interrogated. You made a big mistake in attacking Hanzo Academy." The woman raised her fists calmly.

'**From her appearance, she's more intimidating than any of those girls on your team.' **Kurama wasn't wrong. This lady looked like a monster.

'I'll never take anybody lightly again, not after Hotaru. That bastard got too many hits in. I won't allow her to get to the others.'

'**Good. See, I like it when you use your head. If you need my chakra, you know what to do.' **Naruto also had that summoning scroll, but there was no way that they wouldn't destroy the entire academy if the Kyuubi came out to fight.

"While I never cared to remember your name, I did notice how you toyed with the emotions of those girls. You're truly despicable, just like all evil shinobi."

Naruto leveled a glare on her, she spoke like he was actual trash. Maybe he was for betraying the Hanzo girls, but he had no choice.

"Big talk from an old lady. You're definitely not a teacher. What'd you get held back for twenty years?" His insult made her eyes narrow.

"I am known as the Legendary Senior of this academy. You are nothing, boy." She took offense to being called old.

"You couldn't graduate? How sad. Katsuragi and Ikaruga are going to get out of here before you." Naruto attempted to rile her up.

"Hmph. Enough. It is pointless to talk further." Her presence alone would have suffocated weaker shinobi.

"Can I at least get the name of the woman who never graduated?" His smirk irritated her.

"Daidōji. You won't be able to insult me when you're being interrogated for days on end." She finally revealed her name.

"Daidōji, huh?" Naruto tensed his body considerably. "Since you never bothered to remember my name, I'll drill it into your head!"

Daidōji was surprised when Naruto reached her in less than a second. The boy was fast, extremely so. His blades sought her body out with precision.

'He's definitely been training for years...' So he was a cut above the rest. That still wouldn't help him against her.

Slipping right between the swipes, she jabbed her fist towards his chest. Naruto, expecting the counter, slid to the left of her stationary position and extended his own fist.

"Fool!" A sandal covered foot kicked him in the chin, making him blink from the brain rattling attack. An open palm met with his upper body and sent him flying back towards the entrance of the gym.

Skidding to a halt, he recovered quickly. Spitting out a little bit of blood, he was surprised by the strength behind her attack. He's been hit by Homura and Yomi at the same time, and their strength paled in comparison to Daidōji.

"Come." She told him simply, raising her hand to him.

"Hehe..." He chuckled and placed his trench knives back on his loose belt. Considering she only used her fists from what he could tell, Daidōji knew how to get around bladed weapons. She definitely had experience in combat. That was fine. He had way more to work with than some trench knives, even if he cherished them.

"Giving up already?" Daidōji taunted him, wanting to crush the traitor before her.

"You wish..." His hands formed a strange shape, and Daidōji's vision was assaulted with clouds of smoke. It dissipated after a couple of seconds, leaving her to stare at a massive crowd.

'Clones...? Kiriya mentioned this...' Daidōji didn't have a lot of intel to go off of. Apparently the boy refused to reveal his true power to Kiriya. Now she understood why.

"Hey, Daidōji. I don't know if you're one of those shinobi who follow the whole one on one fight rule." Naruto's whisker marked cheeks pulled up with his smile. "But I don't give a shit."

The amount of clones he summoned was ridiculous to her, she's never seen a technique like this. Some shinobi utilized illusions that created duplicates, but never to this extent. These were real.

Her muscled body went to work as clone after clone rushed her down. They were relentless, kicking off each other, using some as springboards, and even spitting out pressurized wind.

'He's not an ordinary shinobi...' Her eyes hardened with each attack she dodged. The pure amount of clones ensured that some would reach her, though luckily her muscled body ate the hits.

Daidōji grew tired quickly of the clones. No matter how many she smacked and caused to pop, the infuriating boy sat in the back to create more. Feeling energy course through her body, she leaped high into the air. Right as she was about to fall back down into the pile of clones, she kicked her legs out. Orange energy poured off her legs in the shape of the claws of a tiger, surprising Naruto and his clones.

Whatever clone was in her way when she landed was destroyed. She pummeled everything in her path, yet the clones kept coming! Growling slightly, she knew she had to stop this annoying technique from the source.

She barreled towards the original, knocking clones out of the way. Her body was far from normal to shrug off attacks from him. Smoke suddenly clouded her eyes right as she was about to reach him, but that didn't deter Daidōji. Naruto dropped his favorite hand sign right as she got into his personal space.

"Boy!" She yelled while reaching for his face with an open palm. Naruto slapped the hand away and brought his knee up to catch her in the stomach. Daidōji reacted the same way, causing their knees to crack against each other.

A trench knife fell to the ground with a clang. Daidōji paid it little attention, she went to elbow the traitor in the face. His expression was way too composed for her taste.

Naruto whipped his head backwards to dodge, and he hurriedly put distance between them when she tried the same trick as before with her leg.

Standing across from her, Naruto felt a tiny amount of pain shoot through his kneecap. Even her knees were deadly, what a crazy lady.

'**Your knife... wait...' **Kurama paused and chuckled when realizing Naruto had a plan. This was the Naruto that Kurama liked to see. The one who created strategies on the fly. He felt awful over betraying the Hanzo girls, but he didn't go off the deep end like in his fight with Hotaru.

"Are you finished? Just clones and some hand to hand combat. Disappointing." Daidōji wiped the sweat from her forehead. This boy was making her put in effort.

"Hey... would you mind giving me my weapon back?" Naruto pointed at the discarded trench knife. Daidōji glanced at it before glaring deeply into his eyes.

"You don't give an opponent their weapons back in a fight. Surely you know this, evil shinobi."

Naruto laughed.

"That's not my name, ya know."

The trench knife at her feet exploded in a cloud of smoke. Daidōji tried to step back before a foot met with her jaw.

"_U!"_

Her bleary eyes snapped open as more popping sounds filled the gymnasium.

"_ZU!"_

Two separate pairs of feet kicked her into the air even further, making her wince at the sensation. This boy...!

"_MA!"_

Daidōji's abdominal muscles couldn't save her from the chakra enhanced kicks. She felt her breath get taken away from her for a second.

"_KI!"_

The last blow left her staring at the bright overhead lights of the gym. A lone figure appeared above her, his heel angling down and his eyes glowing red.

"_NARUTO RENDAN!"_

The blow connected with her temple and Daidōji was sent directly towards the unforgiving floor. The cap she wore on her head was lost with the brutal attack.

"I'm not finished yet!"

The dust that kicked up from her crash into the ruined gym floor began to rise. Something was pulling it towards the ceiling.

"_RASENGAN!"_

In a nose dive towards her prone body, Naruto attempted to grind a red tinted sphere into the downed woman. At the very last possible second, Daidōji rolled out of the way, causing a loud explosion to ring out throughout the building.

Huffing with blood dripping down her forehead, Daidōji felt to her knees and glared at the boy. His technique drilled a massive hole into the floor, and while a _Shinobi Kekkai _was supposed to limit the amount of damage to an area, his attacks seemingly negated that.

'Kiriya's team doesn't stand a chance against him.' For a moment, the appearance of Naruto shifted before her. Instead of the blond evil shinobi, a purple haired woman took his place. She was the only other person to push Daidōji this far.

'If I can't defeat this boy, how could I ever defeat her… Rin…' Daidōji dug her fingers into her knees, feeling disappointed with herself.

Naruto stared down at the woman, and he half expected her to give up.

"No! This isn't over." Standing with newfound strength, Daidōji folded her arms in front of her massive chest.

"You can still move?" He asked her, unperturbed by her stance.

"Hah!" Throwing her arms out, Daidōji screamed and her clothes burst off her form. Naruto and Kurama were stunned at the bold move. She was stripping?

'**I don't understand this world anymore.'**

'She's definitely bigger than Hikage…'

'**Really…? That's the first thing that stood out to you?'**

Naruto's formerly glazed eyes focused when he heard a noise that was akin to cracking a whip.

"What…?"

"Boy!" Daidōji was in front of him faster than he could react. A fist that could have shattered the ground slammed into him and sent him spiraling to the opposite side of the gym. His shirt practically exploded off his body, and his body broke through the walls like they were made of paper. He never noticed his locket break off his neck.

Landing in the boys locker room, Naruto stared up at the pipe that his head just happened to crash into. Water spilled out and drenched him, effectively snapping him out of his daze. Blood trickled down from his own forehead, causing him to blink as it got into his eyes.

'What the fuck?'

'**It's been a long time since I've seen you get sent flying like that****…'**

Daidōji was by far the strongest person he's fought in his new life. She was able to take on hordes of clones, survive chakra enhanced kicks, and she still had more in her?! Hotaru and his illusions couldn't hold a candle to her.

'Kurama?'

'**I'm on it.**'

He needed some of that good stuff, and by good stuff, he meant Kurama's chakra.

Meanwhile, Daidōji sucked her teeth as she stared at her shaking fist. That wasn't enough, she knew it. What she did was a technique that shinobi utilized as a last resort of sorts. By essentially bursting all of the energy out that she used for her transformation, she gained an incredible increase to her offensive capabilities. Shinobi in training didn't favor this different "transformation", and some avoided it all together. Now that her fists could hit a lot harder, her body would also receive more damage.

Straightening her body, she was only clad in the bandages around her chest and her white thong. Less than ideal sure, but modesty meant nothing to a true shinobi.

"Well, that hurt."

Daidōji groaned when Naruto's voice came from the human sized hole in the wall. What was this boy made of?

It was her turn to look over his form, and his new appearance set her on edge.

His shirt was gone, and his own cloak was reduced to tatters. The headband that covered his forehead was torn and bloody. Red energy of some kind enveloped his body, and two tails twitched behind him.

'Is that a different transformation? The energy itself is like a yōma…' Was this boy a demon in human skin?

"At the cost of that strength, you have to basically strip. I'm not interested in ever doing that." Naruto commented while the soothing chakra healed him. Kurama's chakra was dangerous, but to someone who's had the Kyuubi sealed in him since birth, it was like a drug.

"I'll give you some credit, boy. You can certainly take a punch." Daidōji knew that if any of his teammates took that same attack, they'd be down for the count.

"Same to you." Naruto smiled at her, his teeth sharper than normal. "It sucks that you're going to lose this fight though."

"Arrogant punk…" She snarled and sparks of yellow electricity coated her body.

"Last chance. Where is the scroll?" Seeing the energy bubble around him, and the demonic eyes shining, she felt uneasy.

"I already told you." Holding a hand out, golden colored energy filled her palm. It formed a deadly shaped ball, similar to his own _Rasengan_. "Even if it was here, you'd never get your filthy hands on it, evil shinobi."

"And I already told you what my name is." Naruto stood directly across from her, letting chakra spin around his palm. A bright sphere of chakra took shape, but he wasn't done yet.

Daidōji held back the urge to recoil when a deadly screech filled the room. It emanated from his technique, and she felt her body lock up. The glass windows of the room cracked and the wind howled.

Red, blue, and white chakra swirled around the _Rasengan_. Kurama claimed it wasn't quite complete yet, and he refused to harm himself for attempting the complete version. He didn't want to kill Daidōji either.

'**She wouldn't show you the same mercy if your roles were reversed.' **Kurama truly saw no difference between the good and evil shinobi when they battled. They all went for the kill.

'I already hurt Katsuragi and the others… there's no need to kill this woman.' Their mission only pertained to the scroll. Suzune said to eliminate witnesses, but Naruto would have to go against that order. Unless Daidōji suddenly left to attack his Hebijo team, he had no reason to put her down.

Even if her punches hurt like hell.

Naruto pushed his body forward, and aided by Kurama, he already knew the outcome.

Daidōji brought her hand in front of her for protection. She wasn't sure what would happen, though she was confident in her own abilities. The second he reached her and thrust his hand forward, she felt her own technique fizzle out.

Confidence soon left her when the wind coated sphere tore through her final attack with ease.

'He really is a demon…'

Power like this was being welded by an evil shinobi.

Daidōji's last thoughts before she lost consciousness were related to how good shinobi would be able to survive against this boy.

* * *

Ikaruga panted and fell to a knee before her opponent. Her outfit consisted of almost nothing at this point.

Fortunately, Yomi wasn't fairing much better.

"That's… a good look for you… Princess." Yomi told her while breathing heavily, exhaustion was hitting her hard.

"Stop… calling me that…" Leaning on her sword like a crutch, Ikaruga tried to summon whatever energy she had left. She needed to finish Yomi off and assist her teammates. Things have gotten too quiet, and she was concerned.

"What's the matter? You can't handle the lower class calling you out?" Yomi's body may be battered, but her mouth was not.

"I don't have time to listen to you. I have to get to my teammates." Ikaruga and Yomi glared at each other before a giggle reached their ears.

"Your teammates have already been taken care of, Ikaruga-chan." Haruka walked up to the tired pair of shinobi. The Hebijo girls followed behind her. Ikaruga felt fear grip her heart. If they were all here…

"That look on your face tells me that you're worried about your little friends. Don't worry, they've been taken care of." Haruka's outfit was in great condition as she let Mirai lean against her.

"I'm really disappointed!" Homura, who wore little more than fabric and her underwear, glared at Ikaruga. "That's the elite team this academy has to offer?! Hanzo's granddaughter… tch."

"You're saying that, but you look like a mess." Hikage accused her. The snake eyed girl's outfit was not any more torn up than usual.

"I-I just let her get some hits in! I wanted to test her path of the shinobi! Her attacks felt like nothing but a feather on my cheek." Homura defended herself with a blush.

"So that's why I can see your-"

"Hikage!" Homura covered her teammates mouth with her hand.

"Where's Naru-nii?" Mirai wondered aloud. She thought he'd be the first to be back.

Ikaruga felt sick to her stomach as the Hebijo group conversed casually. They were joking together while her own team could be bleeding out. Evil shinobi were truly terrible.

"Darling was definitely responsible for those explosions earlier." Haruka could safely bet her life on that.

"That dumbass should have been finding the scroll instead of destroying the academy." Homura closed her eyes and shook her head, preparing herself to scold him. She was team leader after all.

"Hi, Naru." Hikage called out and Homura froze. No way… he wasn't behind her.

"Hebi-chan." Naruto greeted his love. "Oh, Homura-chan, you talk a lot of crap for someone with their nipples out."

Homura wanted to die.

"Where's your shirt and cloak?" Hikage slid up to him with a smile, feeling his warm presence made her relax.

"Completely destroyed, and somebody is borrowing whatever is left of my cloak for now." Naruto told his team, keeping his eyes on the defeated Ikaruga.

"None of them are dead." Hikage eased whatever worries he had.

"Thanks…"

Ikaruga wanted to cry in relief. Her team was alive. That was the best news she received all day.

"What are we doing with her, Naruto-san?" Yomi asked him with an unreadable expression. Ikaruga stared defiantly at the group. If she was to be captured, she wouldn't go down without a fight. Even if it killed her.

"Ikaruga, the scroll isn't here, correct?" He crouched in front of her beaten form. Her fight seemed to end in a draw.

"Naruto-san… you… you betrayed us." She whispered with her eyes fluttering. She was very tired. Naruto frowned, and she could have sworn he looked regretful.

"Yeah... she doesn't know. I searched the shinobi room and the interior of the school. I'm assuming their teacher, Kiriya, hid the scroll with him. He doesn't seem to be around." Naruto reported to Homura, who quickly covered her breasts when he faced her.

"Well this mission was a failure." Homura wasn't looking forward to seeing their so called 'benefactor' again.

"Normally I'd say we bring her along for interrogation." Haruka gestured to Ikaruga. "But these girls really don't know much."

Ikaruga possessed no energy to appear offended at that statement.

"If the scroll is not here, then we have to wait… will _he _be alright with that?" Hikage was quite obviously referring to Dōgen.

"If he has a problem, I'll deal with him." There was no way Naruto would allow anyone to punish the girls for something out of their control. Dōgen gave them a time to attack, it wasn't their fault that the scroll moved positions randomly.

"Naruto-san…" Ikaruga brought his attention back to her. "Katsuragi… she hides everything from others… but you were the only one she… and you…" She fumbled over her words.

"That's enough, Ikaruga." Naruto grouped up with his team, gently pulling Yomi with him. The bean sprout loving girl was glaring daggers at Ikaruga. "It's over." He definitely needed to speak with Yomi when they returned to Hebijo, he's never seen the girl this angry.

Hikage remained silent, but she sort of understood what Ikaruga was talking about. That annoyingly persistent blonde girl was very emotional over Naruto.

"Go check on your team and then head to the gym. There's one more." Naruto informed her and nodded to Homura. Rolling her eyes, she figured it was time to head back to Hebijo. She didn't particularly like the fact that Naruto was helping these good shinobi.

"I can't let you all go… for justice's sake. I will…" Ikaruga felt the words die in her throat when Naruto simply left with his team following.

They were this weak? None of them were able to take down their opponents… and Naruto left with no hesitation.

She couldn't blame Katsuragi for having tears in her eyes.

Not when she shed them as well.

* * *

"… Daidōji."

"… Daidōji!"

Jumping up, Daidōji hissed when she felt her body ache painfully. Her head was pounding, her arms burned, and her chest was sore.

Opening her eyes, she realized she was laid on the small couch in Hanzo's shinobi room. Turning to the man who was addressing her, she frowned at Kiriya.

"I…"

"I already know what happened, Ikaruga told me everything. The scroll is still in my possession." Kiriya felt like twenty years were added onto his age after hearing the report from the third year. He never trusted Naruto, not like his idol, but for the boy to leave Daidōji in such a state…

"Damn it… damn it!" Daidōji raged and clenched her quivering hands. Defeated by an evil shinobi and… wait…

"What am I wearing?" Looking down at her body, she realized she was naked under the long tattered cloak that was tied together hastily with a string.

"That's Naruto's…" A subdued voice spoke and Ikaruga entered the room with a limp.

"What?" Daidōji couldn't believe that the boy dressed her after defeating her. For an evil shinobi to leave their opponent alive, it was ludicrous.

"That's a part of his outfit." Ikaruga looked down at her hands, which held a small locket. Daidōji stood in stunned silence.

"Ikaruga. Your team performed admirably for combat against opponents who were far more prepared to face you. Do not beat yourselves up too hard for the loss." Kiriya was glad that his students survived. He wasn't sure if he could handle losing another one, not after Rin.

"Yes." Ikaruga bowed her head, the praise simply washed over her. She didn't want praise. Her team was betrayed, beaten, and spared in the same day. She's never felt weaker.

"Are the others alright?" Daidōji asked the younger girl.

"Y… No." She couldn't lie to her superiors. "While there are no life threatening injuries, Katsuragi has yet to wake up. The others are also very quiet." Ikaruga's own injuries at the hands of Yomi were going to take some time to heal.

"That's a shame." A new voice alerted the group, and Kiriya instantly bowed his head.

"Hanzo-sama."

"Relax, there is no need for that." The old man waved off his granddaughters teacher. He merely sat on the couch after entering the room calmly.

"Ikaruga-chan? Be a dear and bring the girls to this room after they get some rest. I have to talk with you all."

"Y-Yes… Hanzo-sama."

Ikaruga scurried off, heading to the schools infirmary they used for their shinobi. She didn't want to show herself in front of a legendary shinobi like Hanzo. Surely even he was disappointed in them.

The room remained tense until Hanzo broke out into small chuckles, confusing the remaining shinobi.

"That kid really did a number on you, Daidōji-chan." The woman scowled at his mockery. Her arms felt like they were on fire, and her head was pounding. The brutal kick to her forehead was engraved in her brain. Naruto…

"He is nothing but trash. Evil shinobi trash." The fact that she still wore his clothing only made Hanzo laugh more.

"Hmm. I'm not so sure about all that." Hanzo leant his fist on his cheek and smirked at the duo.

"Hanzo-sama… are you withholding information from us?" Kiriya wouldn't be surprised, it wasn't the first time Hanzo left him out of the loop.

"Probably!"

Hanzo was certainly a strange fellow.

* * *

**A/N - **Multiple uploads in quick succession, absolute bruh moment. Let me address some things featured in this chapter for those who don't know much about Senran Kagura. **So read this if you want some explanations, I know damn well a lot of people skip author notes. I get it, they are annoying, but goddamn I need some way to speak with you all.**

\- When the Hebijo girls attacked Hanzo Academy, they toyed with them. Homura literally lets Asuka get hits on her just to see if she was worth a damn. At this point, the Hanzo girls are weaker than their counterparts, with the very slight exception of Mirai. Not saying that she's weak, but Yagyu is the worst possible opponent for her currently.

\- Yomi truly hates Ikaruga for reasons that you'll find out later. This hatred continues on in canon for some time actually, depending on the timeline… yeah the split timeline thing is a pain in the ass lol.

\- Daidōji is very, very strong in Senran Kagura, and her punches alone are able to do a lot of damage. When against Naruto, who she has very little intel on and he is actively working with Kurama, it's not going to go well for her. There is one character in the far future that will genuinely push Naruto in combat, just because _she _can do some crazy shit.

\- The whole stripping to become stronger is a thing in the games. If you sacrifice your defense for more offense, you do a shit ton more damage against enemies. And their outfits disappear, because of course they do.

\- I don't want to make Hibari seem like absolute fodder in the story because she has her moments in canon. However, against a lot of the cast and Naruto, she won't be able to keep up. She's young, being a first year, and she's really innocent. She doesn't have a calculating mind like Haruka or the bloodlust of Homura. Also, Haruka will not have her strange obsession with Hibari in this story, Naruto stole that place long ago.

\- Ikaruga is literally Vergil from DMC with her abilities, which I love by the way, so that's how she's able to do all those sick moves with her sheathe. Man, I love Devil May Cry.

\- Hikage has no reason to be friendly with Katsuragi for the time being. If her words sounded cold, then yeah… she's supposed to be. She understands that Naruto connected with the girl, but she can't bring herself to care for a random shinobi at all.

\- Yes. The fighting one on one thing was something they followed in canon. I believe Katsuragi mentions it when Hebijo first attacks Hanzo Academy.

\- Fuck Dōgen, all my homies hate Dōgen.

If you guys have any other questions, please let me know. Naruto will eventually use the full Rasenshuriken, but like I said before… my take on the Rasengan is different from what happened in canon where it was nerfed. Against Kabuto, it almost ripped him open. Against Kakuzu, it left him immobile for Kakashi to dab on. The Rasengan won't be a move Naruto uses here to just play around.

Yes, I'm using the red version of Kurama's chakra a lot. I have a strong bias towards it, and it fits here considering Naruto can't use KCM yet… _yet. _He didn't need it against Hotaru in the past, but he wasn't thinking clearly and he had a good reason for being angry.

No, Naruto will not get with Daidōji. If a girl likes Naruto's personality, skill, whatever, there's a good chance that she won't be paired with him simply because of that. Not to mention, Daidōji doesn't like him one bit currently.

Besides that, I hope you guys enjoyed this. See ya next time :)


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